Kl. Nichol et R. Olson, MEDICAL-STUDENTS EXPOSURE AND IMMUNITY TO VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES, Archives of internal medicine, 153(16), 1993, pp. 1913-1916
Background: This study was conducted to assess medical students' immun
ity to vaccine-preventable diseases, their exposure to these diseases,
and their attitudes toward immunity to vaccine-preventable diseases.
Methods: A cross-sectional, mailed survey was conducted of all 249 sen
ior medical students in the 1991 graduating class at the University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis. Two mailings were sent during the autumn of t
heir senior year. Results: The response rate was 77.5%. More than 90%
of the students reported that they were immune to measles, mumps, rube
lla, and hepatitis B but only 23% were immune to influenza. Fewer than
half of the students had ever been queried about their immune status
prior to clinical clerkships. One third of the students had had a need
lestick exposure during their clinical training (including 8% to a kno
wn hepatitis B carrier) and only 52% of these were reported by the stu
dent. Ten percent to 20% of the students felt that immunity to measles
, mumps, and rubella was only somewhat or not very important. Less tha
n one third of the students felt that immunity to influenza was import
ant for themselves as health care providers. Conclusion: This study do
cumented inadequate levels of immunity among medical students to certa
in vaccine-preventable diseases, that exposure to vaccine-preventable
diseases was fairly common during clinical training, and that medical
students often had inadequate attitudes about immunity to vaccine-prev
entable diseases. These findings have implications for medical school
immunization policies and curriculum content.