Lowest Vaccine Rate Among Long-Term Care Health Workers
CDC's MMWR reported the vaccination rate among long-term care physicians and nurses was only 50.2 percent in its 2012 survey, lowest among surveyed health care workers.
CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report is a gold mine of health care news and data. The publication's Sept. 27 issue included a report about an online survey by CDC about flu vaccination rates for health care personnel.
The overall rate for vaccinations during the 2011-2012 flu season was 66.9 percent, which the publication reported was 3.4 percent better than estimates during the previous year. But while hospital physicians had the highest rate, 86.7 percent, the lowest rate among surveyed physicians or nurses was 50.2 percent for physicians or nurses working in long-term care facilities.
The vaccination rate for physicians in hospitals was highest, at 86.7 percent, followed by nurses, at 78.1 percent, according to the report.