Kaur Harpreet, Sehgal Alka, Malik Nisha, Kaushal Sushruti, Kaundal Asmita
Obstetrics and Gynecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bilaspur, Bilaspur, IND.
Gynaecology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Chandigarh, IND.
Cureus. 2023 Jun 6;15(6):e40037. doi: 10.7759/cureus.40037. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Infants are vulnerable to diphtheria and pertussis in their early months. In this initial period, maternally derived antibodies provide significant protection to newborns. Similarly, influenza poses a significant risk of morbidity and mortality for pregnant mothers and infants. It has been observed that, despite the evident recommendations, the uptake of these vaccines is still not optimal.
The current study was undertaken as a cross-sectional survey among the practicing gynecologists of North India voluntarily. A structured questionnaire was made available online to 300 practicing gynecologists either on their WhatsApp or email addresses. The data were compared based on urban and rural practices. A record was also made of the participants' type of practice setup, e.g., working in a primary health setting, a district hospital, or a teaching institute. Results: Of the 148 participants who responded to the survey, 45.3% and 64.2%, respectively, administered influenza and Tdap vaccines to their patients. The main barriers cited by the respondent doctors were the non-affordability, non-availability, and non-inclusion of vaccines in the national immunization program and a lack of awareness among the practitioners (Spearman correlation 0.4; p<0.000).
The results of this survey suggest that increasing awareness among gynecologists and the public and improving the availability of vaccines and their inclusion in the national program could most likely increase the practice of the recommendation or administration of the Tdap vaccine in pregnant females.
婴儿在出生后的最初几个月易患白喉和百日咳。在这个初始阶段，母体来源的抗体为新生儿提供了重要保护。同样，流感对孕妇和婴儿构成了重大的发病和死亡风险。据观察，尽管有明确的建议，但这些疫苗的接种率仍不理想。
本研究是在印度北部的执业妇科医生中自愿进行的一项横断面调查。通过WhatsApp或电子邮件向300名执业妇科医生在线提供了一份结构化问卷。根据城市和农村的执业情况对数据进行了比较。还记录了参与者的执业机构类型，例如在初级卫生机构、 district医院或教学机构工作。结果：在对调查做出回应的148名参与者中，分别有45.3%和64.2%的人给他们的患者接种了流感疫苗和破伤风、白喉、无细胞百日咳联合疫苗（Tdap）。受访医生提到的主要障碍是疫苗价格昂贵、无法获得、未被纳入国家免疫规划以及从业者缺乏认识（斯皮尔曼相关性为0.4；p<0.000）。
本次调查结果表明，提高妇科医生和公众的认识，改善疫苗的可及性并将其纳入国家计划，很可能会增加对孕妇接种Tdap疫苗建议的执行或接种率。
