Incidence of Influenza Infections and Determination of Vaccination Coverage Rate Among Healthcare Workers

The main aim of research is to determine of the prevalence of influenza virus and influenza vaccination coverage rate among hospital and GPs healthcare workers.

Course of research:

Participation in the study is voluntary and carried out after the consent of the examined person. The examination consists of: 1) completing the questionnaire and 2) taking the throat swab twice by the researcher. Two throat swab samples will be taken at the same time. Both samples will be used for virological examination to determine the presence of influenza virus material using non-invasive tests: one sample will be analyzed by a quick 'on-site' test - Flu SensDx kit, while the other sample will be transported to the laboratory, where the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) - reference method - will be performed to confirm the presence of influenza genetic material. Swabs are planned to be collected during the 2019/2020 influenza epidemic season (January-March).

In the last stage of the study, the results obtained from the survey questionnaire and the results of virological tests will be subject to statistical analysis and based on the data obtained, conclusions will be drawn from the study, indicating their practical application.

The results obtained from this study will be used to develop a quality improvement program to control influenza virus infection, which will improve the safety of both patients and medical staff.