7 research outputs found
Vaccination of healthcare workers to protect patients at increased risk of acute respiratory disease: summary of a systematic review
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at increased risk of exposure to
respiratory pathogens and may transmit infection to vulnerable
patients. This study summarises a recent systematic review, which
aimed to assess evidence that influenza or pneumococcal
vaccination of HCWs provides indirect protection for those patients
most at risk of severe or complicated acute respiratory infection. A
number of healthcare databases and sources of grey literature were
searched using a predefined strategy, and citations screened for
eligibility in accordance with specified inclusion criteria. Risk of bias
was assessed using validated tools and results summarised
qualitatively. Twenty papers were included in the final review, all of
which considered influenza vaccination of HCW. As such, planned
subanalysis of pneumococcal vaccination was discarded. The
majority of primary research studies included (11/14) were
conducted in long-term care facilities, but there was marked
heterogeneity in terms of the population, intervention/exposure and
outcomes considered. Consistency in the direction of effect was
observed across several different outcome measures, suggesting that
influenza vaccination of HCWs is likely to offer some protection.
Further evidence is, however, required from acute care settings
Influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients: systematic review and meta-analysis from a public health policy perspective.
Immunocompromised patients are vulnerable to severe or complicated influenza infection. Vaccination is widely recommended for this group. This systematic review and meta-analysis assesses influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients in terms of preventing influenza-like illness and laboratory confirmed influenza, serological response and adverse events
Vaccination of Health Care Workers to protect patients at increased risk for acute respiratory disease
Health care workers (HCWs) may transmit respiratory infection to patients. We assessed evidence for the effectiveness of vaccinating HCWs to provide indirect protection for patients at risk for severe or complicated disease after acute respiratory infection. We searched electronic health care databases and sources of gray literature by using a predefined strategy. Risk for bias was assessed by using validated tools, and results were synthesized by using a narrative approach. Seventeen of the 12,352 identified citations met the full inclusion criteria, and 3 additional articles were identified from reference or citation tracking. All considered influenza vaccination of HCWs, and most were conducted in long-term residential care settings. Consistency in the direction of effect was observed across several different outcome measures, suggesting a likely protective effect for patients in residential care settings. However, evidence was insufficient for us to confidently extrapolate this to other at-risk patient groups
Influenza vaccination for immunocompromised patients: summary of a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Vaccination of immunocompromised patients is recommended in many national guidelines to protect against severe or complicated influenza infection. However, due to uncertainties over the evidence base, implementation is frequently patchy and dependent on individual clinical discretion. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the evidence for influenza vaccination in this patient group. Healthcare databases and grey literature were searched and screened for eligibility. Data extraction and assessments of risk of bias were undertaken in duplicate, and results were synthesised narratively and using meta-analysis where possible. Our data show that whilst the serological response following vaccination of immunocompromised patients is less vigorous than in healthy controls, clinical protection is still meaningful, with only mild variation in adverse events between aetiological groups. Although we encountered significant clinical and statistical heterogeneity in many of our meta-analyses, we advocate that immunocompromised patients should be targeted for influenza vaccination