Barriers and Facilitators to MMR Vaccination Among Healthcare Workers

Overview

Measles is a highly contagious disease which can result in severe complications in some patients. Healthcare workers have a higher risk of getting measles than the general population because of their increased risk of exposure from patients with measles attending hospitals. Having had measles in the past or at least one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine provides protection (immunity) against measles. UK government guidelines therefore recommend that healthcare workers and non-clinical staff with direct patient contact are fully vaccinated or have other evidence of immunity. Yet, evidence from recent measles outbreaks suggests that some healthcare workers are not immune or do not know if they are immune, with implications for containment efforts, cost and transmission. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers and facilitators to uptake of the MMR vaccine among healthcare workers at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KCH). KCH healthcare workers will be eligible to take part in the study if they are aged 18 and over and have direct contact with patients. In addition, the research will focus on four subgroups of healthcare workers at KCH: those who are not immune, those who have not completed the full vaccination schedule, those who don't know their immunity status, those received the vaccine only after joining KCH. The latter may provide insights into facilitators to vaccine uptake. Measles immunity forms part of the occupational health screening at KCH. A series of semi structured interviews lasting approximately 1 hour will explore participants' experiences of the occupational health vaccine screening process and measles vaccine campaigns at KCH; why they are unvaccinated/not fully vaccinated/do not know if they are immune/decided to be vaccinated after joining KCH; and what measures or interventions may help healthcare workers when deciding whether to get the MMR vaccine.

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