Observational study to assess the effects of social networks on the seasonal influenza vaccine uptake by early career doctors

What is it about?

Background The Chief Medical Officer for England recommends that healthcare workers have a seasonal influenza vaccination, in an attempt to protect both patients and NHS staff. Despite this, only 63% of healthcare workers were vaccinated in 2016/17. Social networks have been found to affect the behaviour of the individuals within them, thus they may be useful in understanding vaccination habits. Methods Data were collected from a population of early career doctors who self-reported their seasonal influenza vaccination status, along with basic demographic characteristics and information about their social relationships. Social network analysis and statistical modelling techniques were used to assess the vaccination distribution within this network of doctors, and whether the likelihood of an individual receiving the vaccination was associated with their peers' vaccination behaviour. Results Of the 200 eligible early career doctors, 138 (70%) provided complete data, of whom 100 (72%) reported that they had received a seasonal influenza vaccination. Statistical modelling demonstrated that having a higher proportion of vaccinated neighbours increased an individual’s likelihood of being vaccinated. Adjusting for year group, geographical area, and sex did not account for this effect. Conclusion This population exhibited higher than expected vaccination coverage levels– providing protection both in the workplace and for vulnerable patients. The modelling approach allowed covariate effects to be incorporated into social network analysis, which gave us a better understanding of the network structure. These techniques have a range of applications in understanding the role of social networks on health behaviours

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