Commitment of health workers and various population groups to vaccination

Abstract

Introduction. The relatively stable incidence of most controlled infections shifts the focus of public attention from the need for vaccination to the likelihood of post-vaccination complications. Aim. To examine the adherence of various population groups and health workers to vaccine prophylaxis and analyze the reasons for anti-vaccination scepticism. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted on the attitudes towards vaccination among one thousand nine hundred thirty nine respondents including 485 doctors of various specialties (163 pediatricians, 86 surgeons, 85 obstetricians-gynecologists, 76 neurologists, 75 neonatologists), 117 nurses, 295 parents, 1042 students. The significance of differences was assessed using Student’s t-test. Results. An insufficient level of adherence to vaccine prophylaxis has been established: 43.1% of parents vaccinate their children selectively, 35.4% according to the national calendar, 17.1% refuse categorically, and 4.4% have a medical refusal. The main reason for refusal is fear of complications (30%). Less than half receive information from health workers (45.6%), the main source being the media (49.1%). Among health workers, adherence to vaccine prophylaxis is highest among pediatricians (86.1%), significantly lower among neurologists (35.6%), surgeons (43.7%), obstetricians-gynecologists (62.6%), nurses (79.5%). The main reason for distrust of vaccination is fear of post-vaccination complications, narrow specialists more often choose the answer “better to get sick”. Among medical university students there is a significantly higher adherence among senior students in paediatrics (63.6%) compared to students in undergraduate (40.8%) and medical school (48.8%). However, 5% of those surveyed do not plan to vaccinate their children in the future. Polytechnic students have a more negative attitude towards vaccination accounted for only 36.4% vaccinated according to the National Calendar and 30% do not plan to vaccinate their children in the future. Conclusion. There is a clear need for additional training programs on vaccination to raise the awareness of health care workers on this issue, which will provide a strong rationale for the importance of immunization to patients and their parents.