Highlights
- •We surveyed nearly 2,000 nursing home staff members from 37 agencies regarding their influenza vaccination policies and procedures.
- •During the most recent influenza season, approximately 54% of nursing home staff members had received the influenza vaccine.
- •Black and younger nursing home employees were less likely to obtain the vaccine than white or older employees.
- •Certain beliefs and/or attitudes toward the influenza vaccine had a statistically significant impact on the likelihood that respondents had received the vaccine.
Background
Recent studies have suggested that vaccination of nursing home staff members may reduce
the incidence of influenza among nursing home residents. Current national estimates
of employee vaccination rates (around 50%) indicate that residents may be at an unnecessarily
high risk of contracting influenza. This article reports on the influenza vaccination
rates and attitudes toward the vaccine among employees in 37 nursing homes in 3 states.
Methods
Nursing home employees were surveyed at nursing homes in Florida, Georgia, and Wisconsin
in 2011-2012. Completed surveys were received from a total of 1,965 employees.
Results
Approximately 54% of the employees surveyed received the vaccination during the 2010-2011
and 2011-2012 influenza seasons. Nursing home–level staff vaccination rates varied
widely, from 15%-97%. Black and younger employees were less likely to receive the
vaccine. Employee vaccination rates in nursing homes that used incentives were 12
percentage points higher than those that did not use incentives (P = .08).
Conclusion
Low vaccination rates among nursing home workers may put residents at increased risk
for influenza-related morbidity and mortality. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services may consider employee vaccination rates as a quality indicator in addition
to resident vaccination rates. Our findings support the use of a trial to test the
use of incentives to increase employee vaccination rates.
Key Words
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Article info
Footnotes
Funding/support: The study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement 1U01IP000411-01.
Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
