Interventions to Promote Seasonal Influenza Vaccinations among Non-Healthcare Workers

Research Gaps

What are Research Gaps?

Prior to and during the literature review and data analysis, the review team and the Community Preventive Services Task Force attempt to address the key questions of what interventions work, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost. Lack of sufficient information often leaves one or more of these questions unanswered. The Community Guide refers to these as "research gaps." Research gaps can be pulled together in the form of a basic set of questions to inform a research agenda for those in the field.

Identified Research Gaps

The primary questions that remain unanswered from this review relate to cost savings and the overall effectiveness of interventions with additional components like mobile carts or incentives. To address these issues and further the knowledge of the field of worksite influenza vaccination interventions, researchers must conduct rigorous, multi-year studies with concurrent comparison worksites that evaluate on-site, off-site, and other intervention approaches. Additionally, researchers should investigate the following:

• How might the successes in increasing influenza vaccination coverage in the body of evidence for healthcare workers inform efforts in non-healthcare worksites?
• What specific barriers, besides access, should implementers address with their interventions?
• What might be the cost of presenteeism associated with influenza in the worksite, including, for example, the cost of injuries due to reduced alertness, the cost of reduced morale, and the cost of spreading infection to other workers?