Support for Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Requirements among US Healthcare Personnel

OBJECTIVE. To measure support for seasonal influenza vaccination requirements among US healthcare personnel (HCP) and its associations with attitudes regarding influenza and influenza vaccination and self-reported coverage by existing vaccination requirements. DESIGN. Between June 1 and June 30, 2010, we surveyed a sample of US HCP (n = 1,664) recruited using an existing probability-based online research panel of participants representing the US general population as a sampling frame. SETTING. General community. PARTICIPANTS. Eligible HCP who (1) reported having worked as medical doctors, health technologists, healthcare support staff, or other health practitioners or who (2) reported having worked in hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, long-term care facilities, or other health-related settings. METHODS. We analyzed support for seasonal influenza vaccination requirements for HCP using proportion estimation and multivariable probit models. RESULTS. A total of 57.4% (95% confidence interval, 53.3%-61.5%) of US HCP agreed that HCP should be required to be vaccinated for seasonal influenza. Support for mandatory vaccination was statistically significantly higher among HCP who were subject to employer-based influenza vaccination requirements, who considered influenza to be a serious disease, and who agreed that influenza vaccine was safe and effective. CONCLUSIONS. A majority of HCP support influenza vaccination requirements. Moreover, providing HCP with information about the safety of influenza vaccination and communicating that immunization of HCP is a patient safety issue may be important for generating staff support for influenza vaccination requirements.