Health care workers cite motivators, barriers to pandemic flu immunization

January 12th, 2015

Does fear of the pandemic flu trump concerns about a rapidly developed vaccine? Researchers found a variety of key motivators and barriers to health care workers becoming vaccinated against the pandemic flu strain H1N1 that emerged in 2009:

Motivators:

* HCWs were fearful of infection and infection-related death;

* They were concerned about the financial pressures of missing work;

* They were encouraged by other staff members to become vaccinated; and

* The vaccine was conveniently available, and the H1N1 flu was more severe and different from the seasonal flu.¹

Barriers:

* There was limited information specific to the H1N1 vaccine, and HCWs worried about accelerated vaccine development

* HCWs worried that H1N1 was misrepresented and miscommunicated by external media and public health sources.

Reference

1. Prematunge C, Corace K, McCarthy A, et al. A comparison of healthcare worker motivators for seasonal vs. pandemic influenza uptake: A qualitative analysis. Abstract: 402 Presented at IDWeek 2013, Oct. 2-6, 2013, San Francisco, CA.