Attitudes of Internal Medicine Residents Regarding Influenza Vaccination

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Abstract
To survey the attitudes of internal medicine residents regarding the influenza vaccine and their reasons for accepting or refusing the vaccine during a hospitalwide immunization campaign. Internal medicine residents responded to a written survey. A university-owned, 891-bed, tertiary referral hospital and a 278-bed Veterans Administration hospital in Iowa. Immediately following the immunization campaign, 51% of residents had received the vaccine. Of those residents who were not vaccinated, 42% never had time to go to the vaccine clinic, but only 8% worried about side effects of the vaccine. Residents whose clinics were staffed by infectious disease subspecialists were significantly more likely to be vaccinated (odds ratio = 2.55; CI95 = 1.01 to 6.42) than residents working with general internists or other subspecialists. Knowledge, vaccine availability, and social pressure all increase the likelihood that residents will be vaccinated. Faculty, particularly those interested in infectious diseases, may influence residents to accept the vaccine.