[Influenza pandemic: Would healthcare workers come to work? An analysis of the ability and willingness to report to duty].

In the event of an influenza pandemic, the workload of healthcare workers (HCWs) would raise dramatically. Moreover, due to the nature of this occupation, one's own risk of infection is also increased. Given this background, the question arises as to whether HCWs would actually report to work during an influenza pandemic. To answer this question an anonymous and voluntary questionnaire was distributed to HCWs of a German university hospital during the seasonal influenza vaccination. In total, 36.2% of respondents declared that, in the event of a potential influenza pandemic, they would not go to work. The provision of adequate personal protective equipment, such as masks (88.2%), was highlighted as an important precautionary measure. The confidence of employees in public policy, the public health system, and in employers was, altogether, judged to be insufficient; public policy received the worst results in this respect. Pandemic preparedness plans should consider both the proportion of ill employees, as well as the proportion of employees who may be absent due to personal fears or private responsibilities. Appropriate protective measures should be clarified and communicated in the prepandemic phase. Initiatives to strengthen workers' confidence in the fact that everything would be done to protect them against becoming ill in the event of a pandemic also need to be implemented.