Hospital tries doo-wop to push flu shots

The video debuted at a flu fair in October and was posted on internal Web sites. Early data show that HUP has vaccinated nearly 20 percent more staff this season.

No one claims a music video made all the difference.

Indeed, appeals to health workers' altruism do not improve vaccination rates, said Jonathan McCullers, an expert on staff vaccination at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

Still, Neil Fishman, a HUP infection-control specialist, plans to present the video at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America's meeting in San Diego in March.

And it has gotten people talking.

"They say, 'You're on the video, man, that's pretty nice,' " said Ronald Crafton, an ER receptionist, who can be seen lip-synching.

"Then they say: 'Why did you get the flu shot? Didn't it hurt?' It's a way to get into the conversation," said Crafton, who "didn't realize the importance of it" until he got sick and his doctor said his diabetes made him more vulnerable.

He got his first flu shot a year ago, after 34 years on the job.

View the video and find out where to get a flu shot at

Contact staff writer Don Sapatkin at 215-854-2617 or dsapatkin@phillynews.com.