A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination of Health Workers

Abstract

A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled effect of influenza vaccinations for health workers (HWs). Nine databases were screened to identify randomized clinical trials and comparative observational studies that reported the effect of influenza vaccination among HWs. The risk ratio (RR), standardized mean difference, and 95% confidence interval (CI) were employed to study the effect size using fixed/random-effect models. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were conducted accordingly. Publication bias was examined. Sixteen studies (involving 7971 HWs from nine countries) were included after a comprehensive literature search. The combined RR regarding the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza was 0.36 (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.54), the incidence of influenza-like illness (ILI) was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.45 to 1.06), the absenteeism rate was 0.63 (95% CI: 0.46 to 0.86), and the integrated standardized mean difference of workdays lost was −0.18 (95% CI: −0.28 to −0.07) days/person. The subgroup analysis indicated that vaccination significantly decreases the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza in different countries, study populations, and average-age vaccinated groups. Influenza vaccinations could effectively reduce the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza, absenteeism rates, and workdays lost among HWs. It is advisable, therefore, to improve the coverage and increase the influenza vaccination count among HWs, which may benefit both workers and medical institutions.

Influenza vaccination from the perspective of health care workers at university hospitals

“…At the same time, the systematic review by Li et al, shows that the higher the influenza vaccination rate among HWs, the lower the incidence rate of hospital-acquired influenza among patients. Moreover, vaccination against influenza may reduce the incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza by 64% [14]. Therefore, vaccination against flu as a means of protecting patients is strongly justified, especially when HWs contact immunocompromised patients [15].…”

“…Increasing the influenza vaccination rate is an evidence-based public health goal, as the vaccination has not only personal but also economical (economic models, cost effectiveness), allocative (accessibility and equity in vaccination access), and social (well-being of the population and indirect protection for the community and vulnerable groups) values [9]. Flu vaccination protects not only HWs but also improves patient protection [9][10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Implementing a Successful Influenza and Updated COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Among Healthcare Workers in a Delaware Healthcare Facility

“…Annual influenza vaccination with vaccine strains closely matching the circulating strains is widely recognized as one of the proven strategies for prevention of active cases of influenza. There is evidence supporting that influenza vaccination in healthy adults can prevent at least 64% 2 of laboratory confirmed cases of flu and reduce the incidence of influenza like illness (ILI) by 42%. 3 Furthermore, there are implications of reducing absenteeism for health care workers by 37% and lessening workdays lost by 0.18 days per person among vaccinated healthcare workers in contrast to a comparison group.…”

“… 3 Furthermore, there are implications of reducing absenteeism for health care workers by 37% and lessening workdays lost by 0.18 days per person among vaccinated healthcare workers in contrast to a comparison group. 2 Although COVID-19 vaccine mandates among hospitals were controversial, our health system adopted a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all employees for the primary series (which was mainly the first two doses of a 2-dose series or a single dose vaccine) which was later lifted around 2022. Healthcare workers are often the target population when it comes to vaccination uptake as there is a moral obligation to avoid harm to patients and healthcare workers are often looked upon as role models.…”

Flu Shots Unveiled: A Global Systematic Review of Healthcare Providers’ Uptake of, Perceptions, and Attitudes toward Influenza Vaccination

“…While several existing reviews have explored aspects related to influenza vaccination among healthcare workers, they often exhibit limitations in their scope and depth, leaving crucial gaps in the literature. These reviews primarily focused on specific aspects, such as interventions to improve vaccine uptake [ 25 ], challenges and solutions in increasing vaccination coverage [ 26 ], campaign strategies within restricted geographical contexts [ 27 ], and insights only until 2015, excluding post-pandemic developments [ 28 ]. Additionally, some reviews centered on narrow topics like healthcare workers’ attitudes toward mandatory vaccination [ 29 ] or the pandemic’s effect on vaccination intention [ 30 ].…”