Annali di igiene : medicina preventiva e di comunità
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Healthcare workers are continuously exposed to the risk of being infected by influenza viruses during their work, thus representing a threat especially for fragile patients. Although the Italian Ministry of Health strongly recommends influenza vaccination for all HCWs, coverage levels in Italy are still far from the expected. Several studies report that one of the preferred strategies to improve vaccination coverage among Healthcare Workers is improving vaccination knowledge through specific multidisciplinary courses. To assess the effectiveness of an educational intervention on influenza vaccination coverage among Healthcare Workers a study was conducted at "Paolo Giaccone" University Hospital of Palermo, in the occasion of the 2016/2017 seasonal influenza vaccination campaign. ⋯ Despite the training provided, and an improvement in vaccination adherence by the Healthcare Workers involved, coverage obtained was lower than recommended to reduce influenza spread in hospital contexts. In conclusion, our data suggest that specific training alone may play a role in the improvement of influenza vaccination adherence, but it should be integrated by a wider range of public health measures, including mandatory vaccination.