Sustained Increase in Very Low Influenza Vaccination Coverage in Residents and HealthcareWorkers of Long-Term Care Facilities in Austria after Educational Interventions

Johannes Boyer, Elisabeth König, Herwig Friedl, Christian Pux, Michael Uhlmann, Walter Schippinger, Robert Krause, Ines Zollner-Schwetz*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are particularly at risk for influenza infections. We aimed to improve influenza vaccination coverage among residents and healthcare workers (HCWs) in four LTCFs by implementing educational programs and enhanced vaccination services. We compared vaccination coverage before and after the interventions (2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons). Data on vaccination adherence were recorded during a four-year observational period (2019/20 to 2022/23 seasons). Following the interventions, vaccination coverage increased significantly from 5.8% (22/377) to 19.1% (71/371) in residents and from 1.3% (3/234) to 19.7% (46/233) in HCWs (p < 0.001). During the observational period (2019/20 to 2022/23 seasons), vaccination coverage remained high in residents but decreased in HCWs. Vaccination adherence was significantly higher in residents and HCWs in LTCF 1 compared to the other three LTCFs. Our study suggests that a bundle of educational interventions and enhanced vaccination services can be an effective method for improving influenza vaccination coverage in LTCFs in both residents and HCWs. However, vaccination rates are still well below the recommended targets and further efforts are needed to increase vaccine coverage in our LTCFs.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1066
JournalVaccines
Volume11
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jun 2023

Keywords

  • education program
  • influenza
  • long-term care facilities
  • vaccine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Drug Discovery
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology (medical)
  • Pharmacology
  • Immunology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Sustained Increase in Very Low Influenza Vaccination Coverage in Residents and HealthcareWorkers of Long-Term Care Facilities in Austria after Educational Interventions'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this