Methods
Study participants and design
This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a large bilingual teaching hospital in Ontario, Canada. Following the conclusion of the hospital’s pH1N1 vaccination campaign in June 2010, all hospital HCW (N = 10,464) were invited to complete a bilingual study questionnaire through a mass mailing. The study package included an informed consent form, a questionnaire package, and a stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Participants returned their completed questionnaires to Occupational Health and Safety (OCHS). OCHS de-identified the questionnaires, and only de-identified responses were analyzed by the research team.
OCHS housed a list of employees who received the pH1N1 vaccine and those who did not. These records were used to verify the self-reported vaccination status of HCW responding to the survey, thus allowing the prediction of actual vaccine uptake. All aspects of the study were approved by the Institution’s Research Ethics Board.