COVID-19 vaccine uptake among healthcare workers: an achievable quality improvement target

• Published in: BMJ open quality Vol. 12; no. 1; p. e002103
• Main Authors: Weinerman, Adina S, Chirila, Alexandra, Hales, Brigette, Townsend, Christopher, Tomiczek, Nicholas, Williams, Victoria R, Leis, Jerome A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group 01.03.2023
• Subjects: COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use; Cross Infection; Health Personnel; Humans; Pandemics; Quality Improvement; SARS-CoV-2; Short Report; COVID-19; Attitudes; Quality improvement
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2022-002103
• ISSN: 2399-6641

There is a need to optimize SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rates amongst healthcare workers (HCWs) to protect staff and patients from healthcare-associated COVID-19 infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations implemented vaccine mandates for HCWs. Whether or not a traditional quality improvement approach can achieve high-rates of COVID-19 vaccination is not known. Our organization undertook iterative changes that focused on the barriers to vaccine uptake. These barriers were identified through huddles, and addressed through extensive peer outreach, with a focus on access and issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion. The outreach interventions were informed by real-time data on COVID-19 vaccine uptake in our organization. The vaccine rate reached 92.3% by 6 December 2021 with minimal differences in vaccine uptake by professional role, clinical department, facility or whether the staff had a patient facing role. Improving vaccine uptake should be a quality improvement target in healthcare organizations and our experience shows that high vaccine rates are achievable through concerted efforts targeting specific barriers to vaccine confidence.