Harward M P, Kaiser D L, Fedson D S
Department of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville.
J Gen Intern Med. 1988 Mar-Apr;3(2):150-5. doi: 10.1007/BF02596121.
To assess factors influencing acceptance of hepatitis B vaccine, 547 medical residents and 230 surgical residents were surveyed. The vaccination rate among 315 (58%) medical residents who responded was 46%; for 124 (54%) surgical residents who responded it was 76%. Most medical (93%) and surgical (94%) residents who were vaccinated believed they were at risk of hepatitis B virus infection. Among unvaccinated medical residents, 71% indicated concern about vaccine-related side effects, including potential but unknown reactions (58%) and possible transmission of AIDS (37%) and hepatitis (16%). Unvaccinated surgical residents were also concerned about side effects (64%). Stepwise discriminant function analysis revealed that medical residents were vaccinated if they were concerned about risk of exposure to hepatitis B virus and the chronic complications of infection and if they had received hepatitis B immune globulin and influenza vaccine. Surgical residents were vaccinated if they believed hepatitis B vaccine was efficacious, but were not vaccinated if they believed hepatitis B virus infection was not serious.
