223757 Healthcare providers' absenteeism during the H1N1 pandemic in Quebec: Is care for unimmunized relatives a problem?

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 3:06 PM - 3:24 PM

Alain Vanasse Sr., MD, PhD , Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Shabnam Asghari, MD, PhD , Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St Johns', NF, Canada
Alan Cohen, PhD , Groupe de recherche PRIMUS, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Godefroy Brais , Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Étienne Couture , Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Sébastien Desnoyers , Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Benjamin Fortin-Langelier , Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Alexandre Simard , Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
Purpose: Healthcare providers are usually prioritized for vaccination to keep health services running during an influenza outbreak. However their relatives generally do not have the same priority, as in the last H1N1 pandemic in the province of Quebec. This study aimed to measure the impact of this strategy on the absence rate of healthcare providers during H1N1 pandemic. Data and methods: The study population included all 336 healthcare providers who worked in the priority services (influenza clinics, pediatric units, adult and pediatric intensive care units) during the H1N1 pandemic in the region of Sherbrooke. The survey was completed one month after the end of the second wave of H1N1 pandemic. Internet-based and mail-based questionnaires were provided. The validated questionnaires had fixed response alternatives with the possibility of adding comments.

Results: Eighty-one healthcare providers participated. Overall ten days (>1%) of absence were reported. Seventeen (21%) providers reported at least 1 sick relative. More than half were (n=41) worried about their relatives and among them 95% would have been reassured by immunization of their relatives. Approximately 83% of the respondents confirmed that they would have immunized their relatives in the first place if the service had been offered.

Recommendations and policy implications: A low rate of absenteeism among healthcare providers due to influenza-like syndromes of their relatives may reflect the low severity of the symptoms. In this context the vaccination strategy adopted by the Public Health System was appropriate but generated anxiety in more than half of the providers.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
To describe the impact of H1N1 vaccination strategy on the absence rate of healthcare providers during the pandemic.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee this specific project. I am also director of the evaluative axis for the Clinical Research center. I also run many research on health workforce analysis.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.