Keywords

vaccinations, urban school, safety

Abstract

Purpose: School employees are in direct contact with children in confined areas, a setting in which communicable infection can quickly spread. Therefore, it is important for school employees to be fully vaccinated. The purpose of this study is to ascertain the current vaccination status and perceptions of school employees in an urban school district.

Data Sources: The study employed a nonexperimental mixed-method design. School employee participants (N = 1,400) completed a questionnaire to evaluate vaccination status, availability of vaccination records, and vaccination awareness. Participants were randomly selected from 85 schools within one urban school district.

Conclusions: Two common perceptions about vaccines emerged from the questionnaire: 1) vaccines are only for children and 2) vaccinations received during childhood are still effective. School employees are unaware of their own vaccination status and the recommended vaccination schedule for adults. Additionally, accessibility to immunization records for adults are frequently inadequate.

Implications for Practice: Healthcare providers (HCP), including nurse practitioners, are the first line of defense to ensure adults are adequately vaccinated. When vaccinations are tracked and recommended by HCPs vaccination uptake is improved. Nurse practitioners who discuss recommended vaccinations with adult patients are instrumental in improving vaccination rates among school employees.

Original Publication Citation

Luthy, K. E., Thompson, K. E., Beckstrand, R. L., Macintosh, J. L., & Eden, L. M. (2015). Perception of safety, importance, and effectiveness of vaccinations among urban school employees in Utah. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 27(6), 313–320. doi:10.1002/2327-6924.12233

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2015-03-11

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/3724

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Language

English

College

Nursing

Included in

Nursing Commons

Share

COinS