Health Care Personnel Initiative to Improve Influenza Vaccination Toolkit

Introduction

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness that can be easily spread through person to person contact. Influenza can cause mild to severe illness and in some cases may lead to death. Annually, between 5 percent and 20 percent of the population become ill with influenza, and on average more than 200,000 persons are hospitalized and 36,000 people die. Many professional agencies and organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHCO) recommend annual influenza vaccinations for health care personnel (HCP) because of their increased risk of contracting and transmitting influenza. By being vaccinated, HCP decrease their likelihood of contracting influenza and decrease the chance of infecting others. It is imperative for HCP to set an example for the patients they serve by being vaccinated and also by being informed with the most current influenza information in order to properly educate them.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) wants to improve vaccination rates amongst HCP with the goal of reaching the Healthy People 2010 objective of 60 percent vaccination rate. In 2006, vaccination rates were less than 50 percent for HCP. This objective can be achieved by partnering with other organizations to promote influenza vaccination. Therefore, this toolkit was designed to provide numerous resources for health care organizations, health care professional schools, professional health associations, and HCP leaders to gain valuable information about influenza and pass it on to their colleagues and employees. The toolkit is comprised of links to several Web sites (CDC, Food and Drug Administration, NFID, American College of Physicians, and the State of Massachusetts), a presentation, journal articles, fact sheets, and posters to be used for promotion and education about influenza vaccination. The Internet links were all chosen because of their proven success and novel approaches to prevention and education about influenza and influenza vaccination.

For more information about the initiative, please email healthcare.personnel@hhs.gov.

Contents of the Toolkit

1. Memorandum from the Assistant Secretary for Health [PDF – 73 KB]

2. Presentation – Influenza Vaccination of Health-care Personnel: Disease, Vaccine, Beliefs, Barriers, and Recommended Strategies to Improve Vaccination [PPT – 589 KB]

3. Relevant Articles

   • Influenza Vaccination of Health-Care Personnel: Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) [PDF – 626 KB]
   • Lugo N. Will carrots or sticks raise influenza immunization rates of health care personnel? Am J Infect Control 2007;35:1-6.
   • Hofmann F, Ferracin C, Marsh G, Dumas R. Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers: a Literature Review of Attitudes and Beliefs. Infection 2006;34:142-147 [PDF – 491 KB]
   
   

4. Posters Promoting Health Care Personnel Vaccination

   • They Count On You to Get an Influenza Vaccine (CDC)
   • Are You Ready? Influenza Season Is Here [PDF – 5.12 MB] (Veterans Administration)
   
   

5. Vaccine Information Statements

   • Inactivated Influenza Vaccine: What You Need To Know (CDC)
   • Live, Intranasal Influenza Vaccine: What You Need To Know (CDC)
   
   

6. Fact Sheet – Vaccination Information for Health Care Workers (CDC) [PDF – 86 KB]

7. Common Questions (and Answers) for Health Care Workers About Flu Vaccine (CDC) [PDF - 87 KB]

8. Definition of Health Care Personnel

Related Links for More Information

Seasonal Flu (CDC)

Vaccinating Healthcare Workers (National Influenza Vaccine Summit) 

Influenza Virus Vaccine (Food and Drug Administration)

Flu Information (Food and Drug Administration)

American College of Physicians Recommends Flu Vaccination for Health Care Workers

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. A Call to Action:  Influenza Immunization among Health Care Personnel.  2008.  Bethesda, Maryland [PDF – 346 KB]

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.  Immunizing Health Care Personnel against Influenza:  A Report on Best Practices. September 2007 [PDF – 1.5 MB]

MassMed Toolkit, sponsored by the Massachusetts Medical Society, Masspro, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health [PDF – 399 KB]

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