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Influenza vaccination of health-care personnel (HCP) is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) (1). Vaccination of HCP can reduce morbidity and mortality from influenza and its potentially serious consequences among HCP, their family members, and their patients (1?3). To provide timely estimates of influenza vaccination coverage and related data among HCP for the 2011?12 influenza season, CDC conducted an Internet panel survey with 2,348 HCP during April 2?20, 2012. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which found that, overall, 66.9% of HCP reported having had an influenza vaccination for the 2011?12 season. By occupation, vaccination coverage was 85.6% among physicians, 77.9% among nurses, and 62.8% among all other HCP participating in the survey. Vaccination coverage was 76.9% among HCP working in hospitals, 67.7% among those in physician offices, and 52.4% among those in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). Among HCP working in hospitals that required influenza vaccination, coverage was 95.2%; among HCP in hospitals not requiring vaccination, coverage was 68.2%. Widespread implementation of comprehensive HCP influenza vaccination strategies is needed, particularly among those who are not physicians or nurses and who work in LTCFs, to increase HCP vaccination coverage and minimize the risk for medical-care?acquired influenza illnesses.
For the Internet panel survey, two source populations were recruited through e-mails and pop-up invitations. Clinical professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, and other health professionals [dentists, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants]) were recruited from the current membership roster of Medscape, a web portal managed by WebMD Professional Services. Other HCP such as assistants, aides, administrators, clerical support workers, janitors, food service workers, and housekeepers were recruited for a health survey from SurveySpot, a general population Internet panel operated by Survey Sampling International that provides its members with online survey opportunities in exchange for nominal cash and rewards.* Among the 2,518 HCP who completed the screening questions and entered the two panel survey sites, 2,348 (93.2%) completed the survey.? Of those, 1,724 (73.4%) were clinical professionals, and 624 (26.6%) were other HCP.
Survey categories included demographics, occupation type, work setting, self-reported influenza vaccination, reasons for nonvaccination during the current influenza season, and employer vaccination policies. Based on their responses to the questionnaire, HCP from both Internet sources were divided into three groups for this analysis: physicians, nurses, and all other HCP with occupations listed on the screening questionnaire. Sampling weights were calculated based on each occupation type by age, sex, race/ethnicity, medical-care setting, and census region to be more representative of the U.S. population of HCP. Because opt-in Internet panel surveys are not random samples, statistical measures such as computation of confidence intervals and tests of differences cannot be performed.?
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For the Internet panel survey, two source populations were recruited through e-mails and pop-up invitations. Clinical professionals (e.g., physicians, nurses, and other health professionals [dentists, nurse practitioners, and physician's assistants]) were recruited from the current membership roster of Medscape, a web portal managed by WebMD Professional Services. Other HCP such as assistants, aides, administrators, clerical support workers, janitors, food service workers, and housekeepers were recruited for a health survey from SurveySpot, a general population Internet panel operated by Survey Sampling International that provides its members with online survey opportunities in exchange for nominal cash and rewards.* Among the 2,518 HCP who completed the screening questions and entered the two panel survey sites, 2,348 (93.2%) completed the survey.? Of those, 1,724 (73.4%) were clinical professionals, and 624 (26.6%) were other HCP.
Survey categories included demographics, occupation type, work setting, self-reported influenza vaccination, reasons for nonvaccination during the current influenza season, and employer vaccination policies. Based on their responses to the questionnaire, HCP from both Internet sources were divided into three groups for this analysis: physicians, nurses, and all other HCP with occupations listed on the screening questionnaire. Sampling weights were calculated based on each occupation type by age, sex, race/ethnicity, medical-care setting, and census region to be more representative of the U.S. population of HCP. Because opt-in Internet panel surveys are not random samples, statistical measures such as computation of confidence intervals and tests of differences cannot be performed.?
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