Strategies to Reach Employees Nurturing Guidance and Trust in Healthcare (STRENGTH): Understanding Employee Drivers for Employer-Based Influenza Vaccination Programs
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Background
Vaccine hesitancy and logistical barriers continue to limit influenza vaccination uptake among healthcare personnel. The STRENGTH initiative evaluated employee drivers of influenza vaccine acceptance in healthcare workgroups with lower vaccination compliance.
Methods
This mixed-methods program evaluation used a custom Epic electronic medical record dashboard to identify workgroups with lower influenza vaccination rates, followed by focus groups, targeted worksite vaccination clinics, and an anonymous survey. Survey data from 73 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, chi-square or Fisher exact tests, and Spearman rank correlations.
Results
Respondents had a mean age of 44.8 years (SD 11.3); 36 of 70 respondents reporting binary gender were male. Convenience of worksite vaccination received the highest importance ratings (mean 4.72/5), followed by protection from influenza (mean 4.38/5). Both were rated significantly above the neutral midpoint of 3 (Wilcoxon p<0.001). The strongest observed Spearman correlations were between peer pressure and leadership participation (rho=0.47) and between protection from influenza and willingness to receive a future combined influenza/COVID-19 vaccine (rho=0.42).
Conclusions
Convenience and perceived protection were the most important vaccination drivers. Employer-sponsored workplace vaccination programs can reduce logistical barriers while providing opportunities for targeted education and trust-building.
