OP4
LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE: THE INFLUENCE OF WARD MANAGER VACCINATION STATUS ON NURSING STAFF INFLUENZA VACCINE UPTAKE
- Mccullough, D. Smyth, A. Reid, Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
Background:
Healthcare worker (HCW) influenza vaccination is crucial for protecting both staff and vulnerable patients. Despite this, HCW vaccination rates remain suboptimal globally and fell to 50.3% in Ireland last year. While multiple factors influence vaccine uptake, little research exists on the relationship between manager vaccination status and staff vaccination behaviour.
Methods:
A service improvement analysis was conducted at a tertiary hospital. Vaccination status was obtained from national CoVax database record for 26 ward managers and 845 nursing staff. Managers were categorized into three groups: all vaccinated, mixed status, or all unvaccinated. The association between manager and staff vaccination status was analysed using Chi-squared test and Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results:
Staff vaccination rates were 48.0%, 35.5% and 27.9% among nurses working under fully vaccinated managers, mixed, and unvaccinated managers respectively. Chi-square analysis demonstrated significant differences between the three groups (χ² = 15.313, p < 0.001). Analysis of ward-level vaccination rates using Kruskal-Wallis test also confirmed these findings (H = 7.982, df=2, p = 0.018).
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates a significant association between manager and staff vaccination status, with the highest staff vaccination rates observed under fully vaccinated managers. These findings suggest that targeting interventions at ward manager level could provide an effective strategy for improving overall staff vaccination rates. Future vaccination campaigns should consider focusing on the influence “manager champions” have on HCW vaccination behaviour and developing leadership-focused initiatives to enhance uptake among healthcare workers.
References:
- World Health Organization. “WHO position paper on influenza vaccines – November 2022.” Weekly Epidemiological Record 2022; 97(47): 585-608.
- To KW, Lai A, Lee KC, et al. “Increasing the coverage of influenza vaccination in healthcare workers: review of challenges and solutions.” J Hosp Infect. 2016; 94(2):133-142.
- Influenza vaccine uptake in healthcare workers and residents of Long Term Care Facilities. Vaccine uptake in HCWs and residents of LTCFs – Health Protection Surveillance Centre. (2024, July). Available from: https://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/respiratory/influenza/seasonalinfluenza/vaccination/vaccineuptakeinhcwsandresidentsofltcfs
