Hospital health care workers’ understanding of and attitudes toward pandemic influenza

During a pandemic, health care workers (HCWs) will be essential to the health system response. This pre-pandemic study aimed to extend previous research by assessing the views, and intended behaviors of hospital HCWs in Beijing, China, regarding pandemic influenza. We undertook a cross-sectional investigation of a sample of HCWs from 24 hospitals in Beijing, China in January 2009. The main outcome measures were intentions regarding work attendance and quarantine, antiviral use and perceived preparation. Our study found that most HCWs perceived pandemic influenza to be very serious but very few were able to correctly define it. 74 % (n=1406) of respondents accepted the risk of getting pandemic influenza as part of their job and 71 % (n=1350) felt that they have the necessary knowledge to provide patient care during it. We identified two issues that could undermine the best of pandemic plans – the first, a low level of confidence in antivirals as an effective intervention; secondly, a high proportion of staff potentially engaging in inappropriate working behavior