Vaccination Status and Attitudes of Urban School Employees in Utah

• Main Author: Thompson, Kim Estella
• Format: Others
• Published: BYU ScholarsArchive 2014
• Subjects: vaccine; vaccination; school; employees; Nursing
• Online Access: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4108; https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5107&context=etd

Individuals who work with children are at risk for exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases. School settings can quickly become outbreak centers for communicable infection since school employees are in direct contact with children in confined areas for many hours each day. Therefore, it is important for school employees to be fully vaccinated. There are many reasons school employees may be inadequately vaccinated. One common myth is that adults believe vaccines are only for children. Another reason for inadequate vaccination rates among school employees is that many adults believe vaccinations received during childhood are still effective. Healthcare providers (HCPs) constitute the first line of defense to ensure adults are adequately vaccinated and, when vaccinations are tracked and recommended by HCPs, vaccination uptake is improved among patients. Unfortunately, many HCPs miss opportunities to vaccinate their adult patients. By discussing recommended vaccinations with adult patients, Nurse Practitioners can be instrumental in improving vaccination rates among school employees.