In a questionnaire, nearly 75% of doctors claim to be vaccinated against the flu this winter. This is the best score of health professionals.
Nearly half of healthcare professionals (46%) have been vaccinated against the flu this winter, significantly more than the results of previous studies, according to the results of a questionnaire published on Tuesday (1). Doctors were the most likely to be vaccinated with a rate of around 75%, ahead of pharmacists (59%), nurses (39%) and physiotherapists (23%).
An unusual high rate
“The results are in the upper range but we find the same differential as in previous studies between doctors and nurses or physiotherapists”, explained to Agence France Presse (AFP) Dr. François Sarkozy, president of the consulting firm FSNB Health & Care, which coordinated the investigation. However, these results are surprising.
Previous studies (2), carried out in 2009, show that the vaccination rate was only 26% for health professionals. And according to Martin Hirsch, director general of Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), these rates are much lower: a quarter of doctors and 10% of paramedics have been vaccinated against influenza, according to him.
The issue of compulsory vaccination of healthcare professionals against influenza was relaunched last January after a serious incident at the Korian-Berthelot EHPAD in Lyon (Rhône), where 72 infections were diagnosed, including 13 fatal. How often in these cases, the low immunization coverage of caregivers was to blame.
Compulsory vaccination does not appeal
In this new survey, 43% of health professionals also declared themselves clearly in favor of compulsory vaccination, again with marked differences between professions. The most favorable are pharmacists (75%), followed by doctors (67%), nurses (35%) and physiotherapists (only 20%).
Finally with regard to next winter, 53% say they are ready to be vaccinated, a figure up 6.8 points compared to this season.
(1) Thanks to the cooperation of national professional orders (Order of doctors, pharmacists, etc.) and several federations, 3,000 health professionals (including nearly 2,000 nurses, 436 doctors, 305 pharmacists and 220 physiotherapists) have responded within 15 days to an anonymous questionnaire on the electronic platform www.vaccinationgrippeprofessionnelsdesante.fr.
(2) Vaxisoin study carried out on 452 health professionals) and 39.6% (Studyvax study carried out on 500 health students).
Find the Health Guest “Vaccination: towards the end of the obligation ”
with Prof. Alain Fischer, professor of pediatric immunology,
broadcast on February 24, 2017
.
