Staff immunisation: policy and practice in child care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Occupational Health
• Childcare Services

Background:

• Childcare workers require immunisation to prevent disease transmission.
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provides guidelines for staff immunisation in childcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess childcare directors' knowledge of NHMRC immunisation recommendations for staff.
• Evaluate the translation of this knowledge into practice and identify implementation barriers.
• Examine factors associated with having a staff immunisation policy and offering vaccination cost support.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey of 784 NSW childcare centres using postal questionnaires.
• Data collected on director's knowledge, staff immunisation policy, and practices.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify associated factors.

Main Results:

• A 56% response rate (437 centres); 49% of directors were aware of NHMRC recommendations.
• 57% of centres had a staff immunisation policy; awareness of guidelines and offering long day care were associated with policies.
• Cost, time, and information access were identified barriers to policy implementation.

Conclusions:

• Awareness of specific staff immunisation recommendations among childcare directors is low.
• Knowledge is translating into policy, but successful implementation requires further commitment.
• Addressing barriers like cost and time is crucial for effective staff immunisation policies.