Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Compliance with immunization and a biological risk assessment of health care workers as part of an occupational health surveillance program: The experience of a university hospital in southern Italy

2019; Elsevier BV; Volume: 48; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ajic.2019.09.024

1527-3296

Francesco Paolo Bianchi, Luigi Vimercati, Francesca Mansi, Sara De Nitto, Pasquale Stefanizzi, Letizia Alessia Rizzo, Grazia Rita Fragnelli, Enza Sabrina Silvana Cannone, Luigi De Maria, Angela Maria Vittoria Larocca, Silvio Tafuri,

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research

•Vaccination coverage among health care workers (HCWs) remains low in most countries.•Vaccination of HCWs is one of the main measures to prevent nosocomial infection.•Occupational medical examination is an opportunity to vaccinate HCWs.•Public health institutions have to choose to adopt a mandatory policy. BackgroundThe active immunization of health care workers (HCWs) is a primary measure to prevent nosocomial infection; despite this, vaccine coverage among HCWs in most countries is low. To increase vaccine coverage in the health care setting, the hygiene and occupational medicine departments of Bari Policlinico General University-Hospital implemented a vaccination procedure. This operative procedure requires that during the occupational medical examination, all employees are evaluated for immunity/susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases, with vaccination offered to those determined to be susceptible.MethodsThe study sample comprised HCWs who attended the biological risk assessment program from December 2017 to January 2019 (n = 449).ResultsSusceptibility was higher for hepatitis B virus (23%), followed by rubella (11%), varicella (9%), mumps (8%), and measles (7%). The seroconversion rate after the administration of booster dose(s) was >80% for all vaccines. Overall, 15% of the HCWs refused the offered vaccine(s), and the main determinants of vaccination compliance were younger age (P < .0001) and being a physician (P < .05).DiscussionDespite the several recommendations and campaigns to promote vaccinations, achieving high immunization rates among HCWs is still a challenge.ConclusionsIn this scenario, public health institutions have to choose between the enforcement of the promotion or the adoption of a mandatory policy. The active immunization of health care workers (HCWs) is a primary measure to prevent nosocomial infection; despite this, vaccine coverage among HCWs in most countries is low. To increase vaccine coverage in the health care setting, the hygiene and occupational medicine departments of Bari Policlinico General University-Hospital implemented a vaccination procedure. This operative procedure requires that during the occupational medical examination, all employees are evaluated for immunity/susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases, with vaccination offered to those determined to be susceptible. The study sample comprised HCWs who attended the biological risk assessment program from December 2017 to January 2019 (n = 449). Susceptibility was higher for hepatitis B virus (23%), followed by rubella (11%), varicella (9%), mumps (8%), and measles (7%). The seroconversion rate after the administration of booster dose(s) was >80% for all vaccines. Overall, 15% of the HCWs refused the offered vaccine(s), and the main determinants of vaccination compliance were younger age (P < .0001) and being a physician (P < .05). Despite the several recommendations and campaigns to promote vaccinations, achieving high immunization rates among HCWs is still a challenge. In this scenario, public health institutions have to choose between the enforcement of the promotion or the adoption of a mandatory policy.