Implementation of a program to improve influenza vaccination rates among medical students: a comparative study involving two university affiliated hospitals
Background and objectives: Influenza vaccination rates among medical students (MSs) are below the standards recommended in hospitals where influenza vaccination is not mandatory. We carried out a comparative study in two Spanish university hospitals to reassert this fact and evaluated the impact on...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2021-10-01
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| Series: | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2021.1920269 |
| Summary: | Background and objectives: Influenza vaccination rates among medical students (MSs) are below the standards recommended in hospitals where influenza vaccination is not mandatory. We carried out a comparative study in two Spanish university hospitals to reassert this fact and evaluated the impact on vaccination rates of a specific program aimed at promoting influenza vaccination among MSs. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed describing influenza vaccination rates and motivations for vaccination during the 2017/18 campaign among MSs in two hospitals affiliated to the same university. We subsequently performed a community-based intervention study during the 2018/19 campaign evaluating the impact of a strategy for promoting influenza vaccination, comparing the hospital where the intervention took place (hospital A) with the one where it did not take place (hospital B). Results: During de 2017/18 campaign the overall influenza vaccination rate was 44.8%, with no differences between hospitals A and B (difference: 3.9%; 95% CI: −4.36–12.16; p-value = .4). During the 2018/19 campaign, vaccination rate increased to 76.4% in hospital A, with significant differences compared with the previous campaign in the same hospital (29.8%; OR 5.00; 95% CI: 3.14–8.3; p-value = .0001) and with that observed in hospital B in the same campaign (21.1%; 95% CI: 13.38–28.82; p-value <.001). Conclusions: Influenza vaccination rates among MSs in two Spanish university affiliated hospitals were below the recommended standards. A new reproducible strategy for promoting influenza vaccination with a specific approach toward MSs achieved a significant improvement in vaccination rate. |
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| ISSN: | 2164-5515 2164-554X |