Understanding barriers to effective management of influenza outbreaks by residential aged care facilities

OBJECTIVE: To identify the perceived barriers to the implementation of the Australian national guidelines on influenza outbreak management with Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) residential aged care facility (RACF) staff. METHODS: All SLHD RACFs were invited to participate in a telephone interview. The questionnaire collected information about demographic characteristics and participants' level of agreement with statements regarding perceived barriers to implementing the national guidelines for influenza outbreak management. RESULTS: Twenty‐eight of 61 RACFs (46%) participated in the study. The three most common barriers identified were as follows: scepticism towards staff influenza vaccination (n = 13, 46%); the effort required to read the national guidelines (n = 11, 39%); and lack of infrastructure to physically separate residents during an outbreak (n = 10, 36%). CONCLUSIONS: We recommend implementing and evaluating programmes which address misconceptions about influenza vaccination amongst RACF staff. Further, all RACF staff, including care staff, should receive targeted education on the role of infection control in influenza outbreak management.