Flu vaccination rates for nursing home staff is just 54 percent, even though the flu is associated with about 7,300 nursing home resident deaths annually, according to a study in the American Journal of Infection Control.
Even though just over half of nursing home employees get vaccinated for the flu, 72 percent of nursing home residents receive the vaccine, according to the study. While that offers protection, elderly nursing home residents also rely on high staff vaccination rates for added protection.
"Low staff vaccination rates put vulnerable populations at risk of contracting influenza," the study authors wrote.
The study also examined nursing home employees' flu vaccination beliefs, and found many employees had incorrect or inaccurate beliefs about the influenza vaccine. For example, nearly 40 percent incorrectly believed the flu shot causes influenza. The researchers also found that employees who believed the flu vaccine did not cause the illness were 12 percentage points more likely to get the vaccine.
"Vaccination rates would be higher if staff held accurate beliefs about vaccination and influenza," they concluded.