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
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Luthy, Karlen E.; Thompson, Kim E.; Beckstrand, Renea L.; Macintosh, Janelle L B; and Eden, Lacey M., "Perception of Safety, Importance, and Effectiveness of Vaccinations Among Urban School Employees in Utah" (2015). Faculty Publications. 1774.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/1774
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
Copyright Status
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. This is the author's submitted version of this article. The definitive version can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2327-6924.12233/full
Copyright Use Information
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