Kakatsaki Ioanna, Vergadi Eleni, Paraskakis Emmanouil, Galanakis Emmanouil
Postgraduate Course "Vaccines and Prevention of Infectious Diseases", School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece.
Postgraduate Course "Vaccines and Prevention of Infectious Diseases", School of Medicine, University of Crete, Greece; Department of Paediatrics, University of Crete, School of Medicine, Heraklion, Greece.
Vaccine. 2022 Apr 1;40(15):2247-2250. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.03.010. Epub 2022 Mar 10.
Vaccination of healthcare professionals (HCPs) is a key measure to prevent infections in healthcare facilities, but uptake rates often remain low. Mandatory vaccination policies have been occasionally implemented to increase compliance among HCPs, but this remains an issue of controversy. The purpose of this survey was to assess the attitudes and beliefs of trainee HCPs towards mandatory occupational vaccination and further explore the factors that determine their decision. In this cross-sectional survey, trainees consisted of medical residents and medical and nursing students undergoing their clinical clerkship. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed following pilot testing. In total, 410 trainees participated (response rate: 90.1%), of whom 194 (47.3%) were residents, 154 (37.6%) medical and 62 (15.1%) nursing students. Most participants (320/410, 78%) supported mandatory occupational vaccination, stating that it should be applied to promote public welfare and benefit (294/320, 91.9%) or should be a prerequisite for employment (271/320, 84.7%). Only 22/410 (5.4%) of HCPs opposed to mandatory occupational vaccination. The primary reasons for a negative attitude were the belief that personal rights outweigh public benefit (10/22, 45.5%) and the fear of side effects (9/22, 40.9%). Univariate analysis revealed that HCPs that have been informed by vaccination campaigns or had higher knowledge scores, were more likely to support mandatory occupational vaccination (OR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7, p 0.038 and OR 1.7, 95% CI: 1.02- 2.7. p 0.044, respectively). In conclusion, most medical and nursing trainees in this study supported mandatory vaccination for HCPs. Focusing on continuing professional education on vaccines is important to positively determine HCPs' attitudes towards occupational vaccination and increase their vaccination uptake rates.
医护人员接种疫苗是预防医疗机构感染的一项关键措施，但接种率往往仍然较低。为提高医护人员的依从性，偶尔会实施强制接种政策，但这仍然是一个存在争议的问题。本次调查的目的是评估实习医护人员对强制性职业疫苗接种的态度和信念，并进一步探讨决定其决策的因素。在这项横断面调查中，实习生包括住院医师以及正在进行临床实习的医学和护理专业学生。经过预试验后发放了一份匿名问卷。共有410名实习生参与（回复率：90.1%），其中194名（47.3%）是住院医师，154名（37.6%）是医学专业学生，62名（15.1%）是护理专业学生。大多数参与者（410人中的320人，78%）支持强制性职业疫苗接种，称应实施该接种以促进公共福利和利益（320人中的294人，91.9%），或者应将其作为就业的先决条件（320人中的271人，84.7%）。只有22/410（5.4%）的医护人员反对强制性职业疫苗接种。持消极态度的主要原因是认为个人权利大于公共利益（22人中的10人，45.5%）以及担心副作用（22人中的9人，40.9%）。单因素分析显示，通过疫苗接种宣传活动了解过相关信息或知识得分较高的医护人员更有可能支持强制性职业疫苗接种（OR分别为1.7，95%CI：1.1 - 2.7，p = 0.038以及OR为1.7，95%CI：1.02 - 2.7，p = 0.044）。总之，本研究中的大多数医学和护理实习生支持医护人员强制接种疫苗。关注疫苗方面的持续专业教育对于积极影响医护人员对职业疫苗接种的态度并提高其接种率很重要。
