Parental Perceptions about Required Influenza Immunization of Pediatric Healthcare Personnel

Abstract

Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all healthcare personnel (HCP). During 2010-2011, a cross-sectional design was used to survey 372 parents of hospitalized children regarding their influenza vaccination perceptions. Independent of their feelings regarding vaccine safety and efficacy, 76% of parents felt that annual influenza vaccination should be required for HCP.

Influenza Immunization for All Health Care Personnel: Keep It Mandatory

“…47 Independent of their feelings about the safety and efficacy of the influenza vaccine, most (88%) believed that HCP should be vaccinated, and 76% thought that vaccination should be required. 47 In addition, an increasing number of professional organizations have released their own statements in support of mandatory influenza vaccination for health care personnel, including the CDC, American [48][49][50][51][52] State-Based Influenza Vaccination Requirements for HCP Compared with employer-based requirements, state-based or even county-wide vaccination requirements are more reliable and efficient in increasing coverage of HCP. This approach creates a uniform policy and takes the burden off individual facilities to develop, implement, and defend management decisions related to mandatory programs.…”

Influenza Vaccination Rates Among Parents and Health Care Personnel in a German Neonatology Department

“…In comparison to other pediatric departments, these vaccination rates among the HCP are higher [ 10 ] or comparable [ 11 ]. Given the perceptions of parents of pediatric patients about influenza vaccinations in HCP, 76% of the parents felt that all HCP should be vaccinated [ 12 ], to benefit the HCP themselves and their patients [ 13 ], along with the strong evidence-based recommendation for the influenza vaccination of HCP [ 1 , 14 ], these results could be improved upon.…”

SHEA’s White Paper on Electronic Surveillance Data Requirements

“…1 Last year in SHEA's own journal, Washington State was recognized by leaders from several divisions of the American Society for Quality as the only one doing reporting validation of healthcare-associated infections by a protocol consistent with American (Department of Defense MIL-STD-105 and American National Standards Institute Z1.4) and international (International Organization for Standardization 2859) standards for acceptance sampling. 2 Throughout 5 years of continual operation, the Washington State Department of Health's Healthcare Associated Infections Program annual validation protocol has proven practical for infection control programs in hospitals of all sizes, credible to certified quality professionals by virtue of respecting their profession's longestablished generic standards, sustainable, and scalable.…”

“…To the Editor-Hand hygiene is considered the simplest, most effective way to prevent healthcare-associated infections and stop the spread of pathogens. 1 In recent years, more and more attention has been given to hand hygiene, and many guidelines already have been developed to improve hand hygiene practices in healthcare settings. 2,3 According to the WHO Guideline on Hand Hygiene in Health Care 2009, the indications for hand hygiene were divided into 5 groups: (1) before touching a patient, (2) before a clean/aseptic procedure, (3) after body fluid exposure risk, (4) after touching a patient, and (5) after touching patient surroundings.…”