References
The seven steps to success: how to increase seasonal influenza vaccination in secondary care healthcare workers
Abstract
Background:
Seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination uptake in healthcare workers has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. There is merit in revisiting learning from pre-pandemic initiatives that doubled flu vaccine uptake in healthcare workers across London's trusts.
Methods:
In 2019, the authors convened a panel of flu leads from 36 London trusts. Using a Delphi method, the authors conducted 2 rounds of self-administered questionnaires completed electronically and a third round of a face-to-face meeting where paper questionnaires were distributed to the flu leads. Consensus was reached when ≥75% of responses showed strong (dis)agreement/(dis)agreement on a Likert scale.
Results:
There were 34, 33 and 24 responses to the rounds respectively. The authors identified seven different interventions that increased uptake among healthcare workers, including accessibility, visible senior leadership, incentives, one-to-one conversations and peer vaccinators.
Conclusion:
The Delphi method survey is a useful technique to elicit learning from frontline staff involved in driving uptake of flu vaccinations among healthcare workers.
Seasonal influenza (flu) vaccination uptake in frontline healthcare workers in NHS trusts fell to 42.8% in England for the winter season 2023 to 2024 (UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 2024). This was the third consecutive season to show a decrease in the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also the lowest uptake since the 2010–2011 season (UKHSA, 2024). Healthcare workers face a significant risk of exposure to the flu virus in their daily work, making them a high-risk group for flu infections (Fan et al, 2023). Vaccination is also needed to ensure patients’ safety and to maintain essential healthcare services during flu epidemics (Scardina et al, 2021). Thus, the declining vaccine uptake is concerning. There is a growing body of literature on the attitudes of healthcare workers to vaccination; however, there remains a lack of high-quality studies that assess interventions to improve uptake (Flanagan et al, 2023).
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