Primary care physicians' response to pandemic influenza in Hong Kong: A mixed quantitative and qualitative study

Objectives: The current study was conducted to use a developed framework to appraise the public primary care response to pandemic 2009 influenza A H1N1 virus in Hong Kong in 2009. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 300 doctors working in public primary care clinics. In addition, a qualitative study was conducted in two selected general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) with 10 doctors between September and December 2009. Results: We found that there was an increase in clinical service demand for public primary care doctors and that there was lower compliance with hand washing as compared to the wearing of masks among GOPC doctors during the study period. Conclusions: Since hand hygiene and influenza vaccination are effective methods to prevent the spread of influenza infection, future studies should explore the reasons for non-compliance with these preventive behaviors among doctors. More education and training in dealing with influenza A H1N1 infection may be needed. © 2012 International Society for Infectious Diseases.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Willingness to accept H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccine: A cross-sectional study of Hong Kong community nurses

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The 2009 pandemic of influenza A (H1N1) infection has alerted many governments to make preparedness plan to control the spread of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Vaccination for influenza is one of the most important primary preventative measures to reduce the disease burden. Our study aims to assess the willingness of nurses who work for the community nursing service (CNS) in Hong Kong on their acceptance of influenza A (H1N1) influenza vaccination.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>401 questionnaires were posted from June 24, 2009 to June 30, 2009 to community nurses with 67% response rate. Results of the 267 respondents on their willingness to accept influenza A (H1N1) vaccine were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty-seven percent of respondents were willing to accept influenza vaccination if vaccines were available. Having been vaccinated for seasonable influenza in the previous 12 months were significantly independently associated with their willingness to accept influenza A (H1N1) vaccination (OR = 4.03; 95% CI: 2.03-7.98).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Similar to previous findings conducted in hospital healthcare workers and nurses, we confirmed that the willingness of community nurses to accept influenza A (H1N1) vaccination is low. Future studies that evaluate interventions to address nurses' specific concerns or interventions that aim to raise the awareness among nurses on the importance of influenza A (H1N1) vaccination to protect vulnerable patient populations is needed.</p