Hepatitis B vaccination: uptake by medical staff in accident and emergency departments

To assess the current uptake of hepatitis B vaccine and attitudes towards immunization among accident and emergency practitioners in the UK, a postal survey was carried out. Questionnaires were sent to 742 members of the British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine (BAEM). Four hundred and six (55%) replies were received. Of 351 respondents in career-grade posts 309 (88%) had received a full course of immunizations. Five respondents were not immunized and not intending to be so, reporting 13 different factors influencing their decisions. The risks of hepatitis B in nonimmune subjects are discussed, as are new government guidelines on the protection of health care workers from hepatitis B infection.