. 2015 Jun 18;10(6):e0129993.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129993. eCollection 2015.

Examining Perceptions about Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers through Online Comments on News Stories

Yang Lei¹, Jennifer A Pereira², Susan Quach², Julie A Bettinger³, Jeffrey C Kwong⁴, Kimberly Corace⁵, Gary Garber⁶, Yael Feinberg¹, Maryse Guay⁷; Public Health Agency of Canada/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Influenza Research Network Program Delivery and Evaluation Group

Collaborators, Affiliations

Collaborators

Public Health Agency of Canada/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Influenza Research Network Program Delivery and Evaluation Group:
Julie Bettinger, David Buckeridge, Natasha Crowcroft, Shelley Deeks, Michael Finkelstein, Maryse Guay, Jemila Hamid, Jeff Kwong, Allison McGeer, Jennifer Pereira, Susan Quach, Sherman Quan, Margaret Russell

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Vaccine Evaluation Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada; BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁶ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁷ Département des sciences de la santé communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Charles LeMoyne, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie, Longueuil, QC, Canada.

PMID: 26086194
PMCID: PMC4473076
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129993

Examining Perceptions about Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers through Online Comments on News Stories

Yang Lei et al. PLoS One. 2015.

. 2015 Jun 18;10(6):e0129993.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129993. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Collaborators

Public Health Agency of Canada/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Influenza Research Network Program Delivery and Evaluation Group:
Julie Bettinger, David Buckeridge, Natasha Crowcroft, Shelley Deeks, Michael Finkelstein, Maryse Guay, Jemila Hamid, Jeff Kwong, Allison McGeer, Jennifer Pereira, Susan Quach, Sherman Quan, Margaret Russell

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada.
² Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Vaccine Evaluation Center, Vancouver, BC, Canada; BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁵ The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁶ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, Toronto, ON, Canada; The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada; University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁷ Département des sciences de la santé communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Institut national de santé publique du Québec, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Charles LeMoyne, Longueuil, QC, Canada; Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Montérégie, Longueuil, QC, Canada.

PMID: 26086194
PMCID: PMC4473076
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129993

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to understand online public perceptions of the debate surrounding the choice of annual influenza vaccinations or wearing masks as a condition of employment for healthcare workers, such as the one enacted in British Columbia in August 2012.

Methods: Four national and 82 local (British Columbia) Canadian online news sites were searched for articles posted between August 2012 and May 2013 containing the words "healthcare workers" and "mandatory influenza vaccinations/immunizations" or "mandatory flu shots and healthcare workers." We included articles from sources that predominantly concerned our topic of interest and that generated reader comments. Two researchers coded the unedited comments using thematic analysis, categorizing codes to allow themes to emerge. In addition to themes, the comments were categorized by: 1) sentiment towards influenza vaccines; 2) support for mandatory vaccination policies; 3) citing of reference materials or statistics; 4) self-identified health-care worker status; and 5) sharing of a personal story.

Results: 1163 comments made by 648 commenters responding to 36 articles were analyzed. Popular themes included concerns about freedom of choice, vaccine effectiveness, patient safety, and distrust in government, public health, and the pharmaceutical industry. Almost half (48%) of commenters expressed a negative sentiment toward the influenza vaccine, 28% were positive, 20% were neutral, and 4% expressed mixed sentiment. Of those who commented on the policy, 75% did not support the condition to work policy, while 25% were in favour. Of the commenters, 11% self-identified as healthcare workers, 13% shared personal stories, and 18% cited a reference or statistic.

Interpretation: The perception of the influenza vaccine in the comment sections of online news sites is fairly poor. Public health agencies should consider including online forums, comment sections, and social media sites as part of their communication channels to correct misinformation regarding the benefits of HCW influenza immunization and the effectiveness of the vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

**Fig 1. Search strategy and inclusion criteria.**
An initial search returned 143 articles from which we filtered down to 36 articles containing 1163 comments.

**Fig 2. Seven most frequent themes and their distribution of sentiment.**
Freedom of choice, vaccine effectiveness, patient safety, distrust of the pharmaceutical industry, distrust of the government or public health, alternatives to vaccine, and concerns about side effects are the seven most frequently-appearing themes in our analysis.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prevention and control of seasonal influenza with vaccines. Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—United States, 2013–2014. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013;62(RR-07): 1–43. - PubMed
1. Thompson WW, Comanor L, Shay DK. Epidemiology of seasonal influenza: use of surveillance data and statistical models to estimate the burden of disease. J Infect Dis. 2006. November 1;194 Suppl: S82–S91. - PubMed
1. Kwong JC, Ratnasingham S, Campitelli MA, Daneman N, Deeks SL, Manual DG, et al. The impact of infection on population health: Results of the Ontario burden of infectious diseases study. PLoS One. 2012;7(9): e44103 10.1371/journal.pone.0044103 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Immunization of health-care personnel recommendations of the Advisory Committee MMWR Recomm Rep. 2011. November 25;60(RR-7): 1–45. - PubMed
1. National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Recommendations on the use of live, attenuated influenza vaccine (FluMist®): Supplemental statement on seasonal influenza vaccine 2011–2012. Can Commun Dis Rep. 2011; 37 Available: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/11vol37/acs-dcc-7/assets/p.... - PMC - PubMed

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Examining Perceptions about Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers through Online Comments on News Stories

Collaborators

Affiliations

Examining Perceptions about Mandatory Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Workers through Online Comments on News Stories

Authors

Collaborators

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Other Literature Sources

Medical