Nurses have one of the lowest flu immunisation rates amongst healthcare workers. FIONA CASSIE reports on a Canterbury District Health project to lift its staff immunisation rate, some Waikato research, and recent international views on this occasionally
Dispelling myths about the influenza virus and vaccine has helped double nurses’ uptake of the flu vaccine at Canterbury District Health Board. Stella Howard, the board’s occupational health co-coordinator, reported on the board’s campaign to the recent National Immunisation Conference.
In 2005 only 21.6 per cent of the board’s nurses had an annual flu vaccine. By 2011, this had increased to 54.5 per cent. But the doctors’ rate has risen from 43.1 per cent to 63.9 per cent in the same time period and overall, 62 per cent of the total workforce has been immunised.
Howard said that unvaccinated staff potentially create an unsafe environment for themselves and patients, so the board’s aim is to encourage staff ‘flu immunisation.
A 2005 article by vaccine researchers suggested healthcare workers do not have the flu vaccine for a variety of reasons, including access, limited knowledge about influenza, vaccine safety concerns and needle phobia.
Howard said that a 2010 study into nurses reluctant to be vaccinated showed nurses view influenza vaccination as a personal health choice, not as an evidence-based nursing intervention. “Some nurses do not consider themselves to be susceptible to influenza,” said Howard of the same study. Combined with the fear of vaccine side effects, scepticism about the vaccine’s value and the inconvenient location of vaccination clinics, the result can be a low priority given to immunisation, Howard said.
Several years ago, Canterbury brought together occupational health, infection control nurse specialists, its communication team and Canterbury Immunisation to look at ways of improving vaccine uptake by its staff. The collaborative effort to address some of the barriers to influenza vaccination – both physical and mental – has resulted in an upswing in overall staff vaccination rates from 2711 (32.7 per cent) in 2005 to 5700 (62 per cent) in 2011.
Howard said that authorised vaccinators acting as “flu champions” in their workplace have helped increase the uptake, particularly amongst nurses, and have worked to break down the many myths and misconceptions about the influenza virus and vaccine.
Successful ‘flu vaccine strategy for healthcare workers
- Vaccines available in mobile, central and drive-through clinics
- Authorised vaccinators immunise their peers at a time to suit
- Healthcare workers can return to work wearing an “I’ve been immunised” sticker rather than wait the recommended 20 minutes
- Online education information provided to staff through intranet site and other media
- Authorised vaccinators act as “flu champions” to help break down the myths about the ‘flu virus and vaccine
- For needle-phobic healthcare workers the board had the mini-needle vaccine available this year.
Howard’s references are available by emailing [email protected]
