Interventions to Increase Health Care Worker Influenza Vaccination in a Large Health System

Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to identify successful strategies for increasing health care worker influenza vaccination rates by job category and level of patient contact.

Background:
Influenza vaccination of health care workers (HCWs) is encouraged by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and is a Joint Commission quality measure for health care facilities.

Objectives:
To evaluate the success of a program to increase HCW influenza vaccination rates.

Methods:
In a large, multi facility health system, interventions to improve influenza vaccination rates were implemented. Publicity campaigns promoting and announcing availability of influenza vaccines were disseminated health-system wide. Other interventions were site specific with hospitals divided into four groupings of interventions (Incentives, Carts; Incentives, No Carts; No Incentives, Carts; No Incentives, No Carts). Vaccination rates were analyzed by three job categories: Direct patient care, Indirect patient contact and Business/administration. Logistic regression analyses examined the odds of vaccination overall controlling for demographics, type of hospital, job category and intervention grouping.

Results:
Approximately 1/3 of HCWs were >/=50 years, the age at which all adults are recommended to receive influenza vaccine; 76% were female and 16% were non-white. Approximately one-half of HCWs had direct patient contact, 19% had indirect patient contact and 30% were in business/administrative roles. Overall vaccination rates increased from 29% to 40%. In logistic regression analyses, likelihood of influenza vaccination was significantly increased among those who were >/=50 years, female, white, working in community hospitals and in hospitals with interventions (P<.05). Job category was not significant. Separate logistic regression by job category indicated that the interventions did not affect vaccination rates among the business/administrative workers, but were effective for HCWs with both indirect and direct patient contact.

Conclusions:
Effectiveness of hospital-wide interventions to increase HCW influenza vaccination varies with type of job.