Declination Forms - Do They Work?

Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to describe the advantages of using employee declination forms in raising health care worker influenza immunization rates.

Background:
Creating a safe and healthy community for health care employees and patients includes emphasizing health care worker influenza immunizations. In 1997, Southern California Kaiser Permanente's employee vaccination rate was approximately 30%.

Setting:
Southern Califronia Kaiser Permanente

Population:
Employees at Kiaser Permanente's 11 medical centers and 100+ clinics

Project Description:
In 1997, Southern California Kaiser Permanente's employee vaccination rate was approximately 30%. The following year, an employee flu vaccination form was developed, which was to be returned to each department manger whether or not the employee chose to have the vaccination. This form included employee's name and details of the vaccination if received. If an employee declined the vaccination, one of five reasons was to be checked. The 1998 employee immunization rate was 43.6%. The most common reasons for declination were “Afraid I will get sick”, “Had it before and got sick anyway”, and “Just don't want it.” The form has not used again.
Since then, employee flu vaccination rates have remained between 40 and 50%. In 2007, SB739 became law, amending the State Health and Safety Code, making declination forms mandatory for all acute care hospitals. Southern and Northern California Kaiser Permanente in turn made the Flu Declination Form mandatory for all employees.

Results/Lessons Learned:
The 2007-08 employee flu vaccination results were not available at abstract deadline time. However this paper will look at the past 10 years' trend in flu vaccinations, and compare the results of the two years in which declination forms were used (1998 Kaiser mandated form, and 2007 State mandated form), to ascertain if such forms do encourage health care workers to receive the flu vaccine.