Non-familial paid caregivers as potential flu carriers and cause of spread: the primary prevention of flu measured through their adhesion to flu vaccination campaigns—A Florentine experience

Abstract

Introduction: Influenza vaccination is recommended for caregivers of elderly people. In a study aimed at assessing the level of health literacy (HL) in a sample non-familial caregivers in the Florence Health District (Tuscany), data were collected regarding access and adherence to the flu vaccination campaigns.Methods: The sample consists of 47 non-familial paid caregivers.We collected information regarding socio-demographic characteristics, services provided and daily work time, whether or not influenza vaccination was administered for the 2016/2017 season and in the previous three years. The level of HL was assessed through the Newest Vital Sign.Results: 63.8% of non-familial caregivers have not joined the flu campaigns over the last four years, 14.9% have been vaccinated only sometimes (in some epidemic seasons), and 21.3% have received a flu shot in all the seasons investigated. Most of the non-familial caregivers who do not get vaccinated (27.7%) do not perceive that they are in direct contact with a person at-risk; those who get the vaccine regularly (12.8%) reported they want to protect the assisted person as motivation for vaccine uptake. Vaccination was not associated with HL.Conclusion: Adhesion to anti-flu vaccination campaigns for these homecare workers has been resulted rather poor. Coverage does not seem to be related with HL level. It seems appropriate to promote extensively flu vaccination among family carers by actively offering the vaccination in appropriate forms, places and times, to avoid serious consequences on elderly people with higher risk of comorbidity and frailty.

Health Literacy, Vaccine Confidence and Influenza Vaccination Uptake among Nursing Home Staff: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted in Tuscany

“…The results of this study showed no significant association between HL and self-reported influenza vaccination uptake, as also described in another research conducted on paid non-familial caregivers of elderly with disabilities assisted at home, in the adult population as well as in pregnant women [26,36,40], while for the elderly population, a positive predictive role of HL in influenza vaccination uptake has been described [26]. Differently from the results of this study, other preventive behaviors, such as cancer screening or the intake of fruits and vegetables, have been positively associated with HL by many authors, with differences related to the study population or the measurement tool of HL that was used [41][42][43].…”

“…Combining the data of the three seasons, 9.6% gets vaccinated in 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and intended to vaccinate in 2018-2019; 28% gets vaccinated in at least one of the two seasons or expressed the intention to get the vaccine in 2018-2019; while 62.1% neither gets vaccinated nor expressed the intention to get the vaccine. This data describes a worse scenario than that presented in the 2016-2017 season for the USA, where the 68% of the staff of long-term care facilities got influenza vaccine [35], and that observed in Tuscany in a sample of paid non-familial caregivers of elderly people assisted at home, where 36.2% got it [36]. On the other hand, the results are similar to those described in the same geographical area (Tuscany) among hospital healthcare workers [28].…”

Comprehensive risk assessment for hospital-acquired pneumonia: sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital environmental factors associated with the incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia

“…As a caregiver who is not a specialist revealed problems in the quality of care, infection, and safety, the need for fundamental alternatives for private nursing has been raised [ 33 , 34 ]. Then, it was believed that the provision of specialized nurses contributed to reducing the incidence of HAP by minimizing various infection issues caused by the immature and inconsistent quality of care from nonprofessional caregivers [ 34 ].…”

Measuring health literacy combining performance-based and self-assessed measures: the roles of age, educational level and financial resources in predicting health literacy skills. A cross-sectional study conducted in Florence (Italy)

“…The Italian version of the NVS was validated by Capecchi et al 34 from the UK version and then it was applied in many different contexts. 35 36 It consists of an ice cream nutrition label with seven associated questions that measure functional HL (prose and numeracy) using a performance-based approach. It produces a final score ranging from 0 to 6, allowing participants to be classified into three categories—high likelihood of limited HL (score: 0–1), possibility of limited HL (score: 2–3) and adequate HL (score: 4–6).…”