Mandatory influenza vaccination programs for health care personnel in NACHRI-associated children’s hospitals vs. non-children’s hospitals

Abstract

We conducted a national study of children’s hospitals and neighboring general medical-surgical hospitals to examine their employee vaccination policies. Survey questions addressed health care personnel (HCP) influenza vaccination policies for the 2009–2010 (seasonal, H1N1) and 2010–2011 (H1N1+seasonal = combined) influenza seasons at each hospital, assessment of primary objectives behind hospitals’ influenza vaccination policies, and information about influenza vaccination policies for inpatient children. We conducted standard univariate and bivariate statistical analyses. The study sample included 136 hospitals: 71 children’s hospitals (response rate = 59%) and 65 matched non-children’s hospitals (39%). Children’s hospitals were significantly more likely than non-children’s institutions to have mandatory H1N1 influenza vaccination policies for their HCP in 2009–10 (27% vs. 13%, p = 0.03). There were no differences in HCP influenza vaccination policies otherwise: 25% in both groups with mandatory seasonal vaccination programs in 2009–10, and 19% in both groups with mandatory combined influenza programs in 2010–11. Children’s hospitals were significantly more likely to have policies in place strongly encouraging inpatient children to have influenza vaccination than were non-children’s hospitals (47% vs 5%; p < 0.001). Among children’s and non-children’s hospitals alike, the primary intentions of HCP influenza vaccination policies were to reduce transmission of influenza from employees to patients (89% overall) and to reduce transmission of influenza from patients to employees (70%). This study—the first known national assessment of hospitals’ policies regarding influenza—suggests that HCP mandatory vaccination is uncommon, even in child-focused hospitals where the patient population is known to be at disproportionately high risk for complications from the illness.