Do they accept compulsory vaccination? Awareness, attitudes and behaviour of hospital health care workers following a new vaccination directive

Achieving high vaccination rates among health care workers (HCW) is an ongoing challenge. In 2007, the state of New South Wales, Australia instituted a policy directive with compulsory provisions for health care workers to be vaccinated. This study sought to identify staff awareness and attitudes in the early phase of implementation. It involved a self-completed paper-based or electronic survey of HCWs in two tertiary-referral teaching hospitals in Sydney. Australia in 2007. A total of 894/1200 completed the paper survey, whilst a further 185 completed it online. Of the 1079 respondents, 60% (646/1079) were aware of the policy directive but only 10% (63/646) described the specific requirements. Seventy-eight per cent supported the policy; 13% neither supported nor opposed it; and 4% opposed it. This survey provides an early, broad indication of the level of understanding and the attitudes of the HCWs towards the new directive. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.