In addition, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has set a goal of 90% of health care personnel to be vaccinated by 2020, Dr. Green and his coauthors noted.
Mandating influenza vaccination is just one proven successful strategy for increasing coverage at hospitals, according to the study authors. Other approaches include influenza education, incentives, free and easy access to vaccination, and annual campaigns directed at health care personnel, as well as written policies describing the vaccination goal.
“Regardless of whether an organization has an official mandate for vaccinations, establishing a written policy that states the organizational commitment to increasing vaccination rates is among the recommended strategies for improving vaccination coverage among health care personnel,” they wrote.
Dr. Greene and his coauthors reported receiving grants from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Patient Safety Center of Inquiry during the conduct of the study. One study coauthor reported personal fees from Jvion and from Doximity outside the submitted work.
SOURCE: Greene MT et al. JAMA Network Open. 2018;1(2):e180143.
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