Influenza Vaccine Uptake Among Healthcare Workers

Summary

Background:

1. Burden: Health-care workers (HCWs), such as doctors, nurses, and support staff involved in direct or indirect patient care, are at increased risk of influenza virus infections. HCWs may also transmit and spread influenza among hospitalized patients and other caregivers. HCWs often (40-83%) work while experiencing influenza-like illness (ILI), increasing the likelihood of influenza transmission to colleagues and patients.
2. Knowledge gap: Despite the World Health Organization recommendation for seasonal influenza vaccination among priority target groups such as health care workers, the low-income country such as Bangladesh lacks a seasonal influenza vaccination policy among this high-risk group, and vaccine uptake remains low.
3. Relevance: This study aims to generate preliminary data on HCWs willingness to get seasonal influenza vaccines following vaccine availability and factors associated with vaccine uptakes. The data from the study will support policymakers to increase awareness and develop influenza vaccination policy among top priority groups such as health care workers.

Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that awareness and availability of influenza vaccine supply would increase influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers

Objectives:

1. To assess influenza vaccine uptake among healthcare workers (HCWs) following awareness and availability of influenza vaccine supply in study hospitals
2. To explore HCWs barriers and Motivators for influenza vaccine uptake
3. To understand policy makers' perspectives on the feasibility of influenza vaccination among HCWs and to share with the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) for a policy decision regarding influenza vaccination

Methods:

The study will be conducted at four tertiary-level public teaching hospitals in Bangladesh. The investigators will use a cluster randomized controlled trial design. The intervention will be randomly allocated at the facility level and will include four arms: i) availability of influenza vaccine supply; ii) influenza vaccine awareness; iii) both influenza vaccine supply and influenza vaccine awareness, and iv) control arm with no intervention. The investigators will assess influenza vaccine uptake before and after intervention and between different study arms. The investigators will also explore the barriers and motivators of vaccine uptake using a qualitative approach. To understand the policy makers' perspectives and opinions regarding influenza vaccination among health care workers, the investigators will conduct in-depth interviews.

Outcome measures/variables:

1. The proportion of influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers before and after intervention and between different study arms
2. Different motivators and barriers to influenza vaccine uptake

Conditions

• Influenza Vaccines

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

ensuring the availability of influenza vaccine supply & developing influenza vaccine awareness

The four interventions will be: i) ensuring the availability of influenza vaccine supply; ii) developing influenza vaccine awareness; iii) both ensuring influenza vaccine supply and developing influenza vaccine awareness and iv) control arm with no intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research

  collaborator OTHER

• Sylhet M.A.G.Osmani Medical College

  collaborator OTHER

• Mymensingh Medical College Hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Rajshahi Medical College

  collaborator OTHER

• Khulna Medical College Hospital

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  collaborator FED

• International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-03-12

Primary Completion

2022-12-29

Completion

2023-02-12

Countries

• Bangladesh

Study Locations