Objectives: The aims of the studies are to describe COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplaces of the Monteregie Region, Quebec, Canada, and to evaluate potential risk factors for identifying at least one COVID-19 outbreak in these workplaces.
Methods: An ecological retrospective cohort study was conducted using deidentified databases of COVID-19 outbreaks that occurred in workplaces from February 27, 2020, to June 30, 2021.
Results: Among 30,489 workplaces studied, 897 workplaces with at least one COVID-19 outbreak were identified.
Background: In Canada, vaccination against pertussis (Tdap) during pregnancy has been recommended since 2018, with suboptimal uptake. We aimed to assess the determinants of intention and uptake of Tdap vaccine among pregnant women in Quebec.
Methods: Participants (< 21 weeks of pregnancy) were recruited in four Quebec regions.
Background: Vaccination of pregnant people with a vaccine containing acellular pertussis (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis [Tdap]) has been recommended in Canada since 2018, and the evaluation of delivery models for efficient maternal Tdap administration is a priority for the Quebec Ministry of Health. We implemented 3 vaccine delivery models, in addition to the existing standard of practice model, and compared the vaccine coverage achieved by the 4 models in Quebec.
Methods: In this quasiexperimental, multicentre observational study, we recruited pregnant people at less than 21 weeks' gestation in 4 Quebec regions from April to October 2019.
Multicomponent interventions are effective in improving vaccine coverage. However, few studies have assessed their effect on timely vaccination. The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of children with vaccine delays at 2- and 12-month visits according to whether or not health centers have participated in an action research project on the organization of vaccination services for 0-5-year-olds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA number of countries have implemented vaccination in pregnancy as a strategy to reduce the burden of influenza and pertussis. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of Canadian maternity care providers in administration of vaccines to their pregnant patients. A cross-sectional web-based survey was sent to family physicians, obstetricians-gynecologists, midwives, pharmacists, and nurses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Monitoring vaccination coverage is an essential component of vaccination program evaluation. In Québec (Canada), children vaccination coverage surveys are conducted every two years since 2006. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of supplementing data based on vaccination booklets with data from vaccine providers, on the final estimated vaccination coverage and to compare vaccination coverage between respondents to each survey contact attempt.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon that needs to be measured and addressed. This study aimed to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy among a large regional population.: A structured telephone survey was administered to a random digit sample in Quebec's Eastern Townships region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Vaccin Immunother
February 2020
Primary prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) through vaccination is a high priority in Canada's cancer prevention efforts. All Canadian provinces and territories have introduced publicly funded, school-based vaccination programs against HPV, but vaccine uptake remains suboptimal in some jurisdictions. We conducted a descriptive qualitative study to better understand the determinants of low HPV vaccine uptake and identify strategies to enhance vaccine acceptance using the socio-ecological model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Timeliness in the administration of recommended vaccines is often evaluated using vaccine delays and provides more information regarding the susceptibility of children to vaccine-preventable diseases compared with vaccine coverage at a given age. The importance of on-time administration of vaccines scheduled at the first visit is well documented, but data are scarce about the impact of vaccine delays at other visits on vaccination status by 24 months of age. Using vaccine delays for the first three doses of DTaP-containing vaccines and for the first dose of measles-containing vaccines as markers of timeliness at the 2, 4, 6 and 12 month visits, we estimated the proportion of incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age attributable to a vaccine delay at each of these visits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: First-contact accessibility remains an important problem in Canada, with this indicator staying the worst of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In the province of Quebec, a number of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations have adopted measures to improve access (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Influenza vaccine uptake among Canadian pregnant individuals is suboptimal. Failure to incorporate vaccination into routine prenatal care and a lack of recommendations from healthcare providers are recognized as barriers to vaccination. The aim of this study was to assess Canadian maternity care providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding influenza vaccination in pregnancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Between 2004 and 2016, in the province of Quebec (Canada), 4 new antigens were added in the early childhood vaccine schedule from birth to 18 months, increasing the number of injections or doses needed from 7 to 12. These additions may have decreased the proportion of children who had received all recommended vaccines.
Objectives: To assess the impact of the introduction of new vaccines to the childhood schedule on the 24-month vaccine coverage from 2006 to 2016 and identify factors associated with incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age.
Objectives: Very low uptake has been noted for influenza vaccination in the province of Quebec. This study aimed to identify the determinants of influenza vaccination among a large regional population.
Methods: A telephone survey was administered to a random digit sample in the Eastern Townships region (Quebec, Canada).
Objective: To test an intervention designed to motivate older adults in documenting their healthcare preferences in advance, and to guide proxies in making hypothetical decisions that match those of the older adult.
Methods: The trial involved 235 older adults, of which half were assisted in communicating their wishes to their proxy. Hypothetical vignettes were used at baseline and twice after the intervention to elicit older adults' preferences and assess their proxy's ability to predict them.
"Vaccine hesitancy" is a concept now frequently used in vaccination discourse. The increased popularity of this concept in both academic and public health circles is challenging previously held perspectives that individual vaccination attitudes and behaviours are a simple dichotomy of accept or reject. A consultation study was designed to assess the opinions of experts and health professionals concerning the definition, scope, and causes of vaccine hesitancy in Canada.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A point-of-care rapid test (POCRT) may help early and targeted use of antiviral drugs for the management of influenza A infection.
Objective: (i) To determine whether antiviral treatment based on a POCRT for influenza A is cost-effective and, (ii) to determine the thresholds of key test parameters (sensitivity, specificity and cost) at which a POCRT based-strategy appears to be cost effective.
Methods: An hybrid « susceptible, infected, recovered (SIR) » compartmental transmission and Markov decision analytic model was used to simulate the cost-effectiveness of antiviral treatment based on a POCRT for influenza A in the social perspective.
Background: Seven chronic disease prevention and management programs were implemented across Quebec with funding support from a provincial-private industry funding initiative. Given the complexity of implementing integrated primary care chronic disease management programs, a knowledge transfer meeting was held to share experiences across programs and synthesize common challenges and success factors for implementation.
Methods: The knowledge translation meeting was held in February 2014 in Montreal, Canada.
The burden of chronic disease requires a new organization of medical care and services. Enhancing collaboration among front-line care givers facilitates access to care and optimizes follow-up. As a result, a new organizational structure has been gradually deployed in Quebec since 2003.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aim of this study was to understand online public perceptions of the debate surrounding the choice of annual influenza vaccinations or wearing masks as a condition of employment for healthcare workers, such as the one enacted in British Columbia in August 2012.
Methods: Four national and 82 local (British Columbia) Canadian online news sites were searched for articles posted between August 2012 and May 2013 containing the words "healthcare workers" and "mandatory influenza vaccinations/immunizations" or "mandatory flu shots and healthcare workers." We included articles from sources that predominantly concerned our topic of interest and that generated reader comments.
Background: Given the variation in human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage across Canada, and debate regarding delivery of HPV vaccines in Catholic schools, we studied online comments on Canadian news websites to understand public perceptions of HPV and HPV vaccine.
Methods: We searched English- and French-language Canadian news websites for 2012 articles that contained the terms "HPV" or "human papillomavirus." Articles about HPV vaccinations that contained at least one comment were included.
Parents' decision to use vaccination services is complex and multi-factorial. Of particular interest are "vaccine-hesitant" parents who are in the middle of the continuum between vaccine acceptance and refusal. The objective of this qualitative longitudinal study was to better understand why mothers choose to vaccinate-or not-their newborns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis qualitative study examines the organizational models of a primary mental health care team for youths in the Montérégie region. This region includes eleven teams working according to different modalities of functioning and within varied contexts. Data was collected in 2010 and 2011.
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