Exploring the effectiveness of interventions to increase uptake of measles vaccination among healthcare workers: a systematic review

Background: Healthcare workers (HCW) have an increased risk of measles relative to the general population. Yet, immunity and vaccination rates among this group remain suboptimal. Inaccessible vaccination services, complacency, and a lack of confidence in vaccines can drive vaccine hesitancy among HCW and in the general population. This systematic review aimed to explore the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase measles vaccination among HCW. Due to the similarity in the factors that impact vaccine hesitancy, the scope of this review was extended to interventions assessed in non-HCW adults from whom valuable lessons may be learnt. Method(s): A systematic review was conducted (PROSPERO: CRD42024582349). Embase, Medline, Global Health, APA PsycINFO, HMIC Health management, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library and trial registers (ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, ICTRP) were searched up to 17 March 2025. Articles reporting vaccine uptake or comparing vaccination rates among HCW or adults following an intervention were included. Result(s): Of the 13,457 academic and 585 trial register records, seven articles relating to HCW and eight to non-HCW adults were included. Twelve of the 15 included studies were observational and only two reported inferential statistics for the outcomes of interest. Risk of bias was high for all but one article, which scored fair. Active identification and invitation to vaccination were the most common interventions for HCW and adults. In both populations, this strategy showed some success, but, due to the observational and descriptive nature of most studies, no firm conclusions can be drawn. Moreover, few studies included educational and policy interventions. Conclusion(s): High-quality research is needed to develop our understanding of the effectiveness of different interventions. This will help healthcare providers and policymakers identify appropriate interventions to increase measles vaccination among HCW and, thus, reduce their risk of infection and contain outbreaks in healthcare facilities. Copyright © 2025