Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
A Luciferase-fluorescent Reporter Influenza Virus for Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection
Published on: August 14, 2019
Understanding why healthcare workers refuse the flu vaccine
Mariano Jose Ferragut1, Deborah Barry1, Martina Cummins1
1Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
Background:
Vaccination is one of the most effective interventions used to reduce infections. Nonetheless, concerns and misconceptions about vaccines have resulted in an increased rate of refusal of vaccination among healthcare workers (HCWs) and within the general population.
Aim/ Objective:
To understand the factors that underlie vaccination-refusal.
Methods:
A questionnaire was given to the HCWs in the inpatient area of an acute London hospital during May 2019. The sample was one of convenience, i.e. the wards where the principle investigator covered. All staff were approached: 306 in total completed the questionnaire.
Findings/Results:
In total, 212 (69.28%) healthcare professionals had the flu vaccine during the 2018-2019 campaign, 94 (30.62%) did not have the flu vaccine and 37 (39.36%) of the HCWs that did not receive the flu vaccine reported they had previously a bad reaction following administration of the vaccine.
Discussion:
This report will provide the Trust and other healthcare settings with information integrating the disconnection between misconceptions and vaccination knowledge, which may inform practical interventions to address the challenges of vaccination in future campaigns. Increasing HCWs' knowledge of flu vaccine side effects could address this and may increase rates of vaccination compliance.
Related Concept Videos
01:51Vaccinations
01:08Obedience
01:27Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
01:17Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
01:21Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...