Rates of influenza vaccination remain low among hospital staff, particularly nurses. According to a 2017 study in BMC Nursing, “Nurses tend to rely on conventional health beliefs rather than evidence-based medicine when making their decision to decline influenza vaccination.” The authors recommended tailoring efforts to increase influenza vaccinations specifically for nurses and empowering them with better evidence-based decision-making skills. State laws promoting hospital worker vaccination against influenza may also be effective in preventing pneumonia- and influenza-related deaths, particularly among elderly persons, according to a separatestudy from the University of Georgia. (HealthLeaders Media article, 2/1/21)
