Motivos de los trabajadores sanitarios de atención primaria para no vacunarse contra la gripe

Knowledge of and attitudes to influenza in unvaccinated primary care physicians and nurses

Primary healthcare workers, especially nurses, are exposed to the vast majority of patients with influenza and play an important role in vaccinating patients. Healthcare workers’ misconceptions about influenza and influenza vaccination have been reported as possible factors associated with lack of vaccination. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of unvaccinated physicians and unvaccinated nurses in the 2011–2012 influenza season. We performed an anonymous web survey of Spanish primary healthcare workers in 2012. Information was collected on vaccination and knowledge of and attitudes to the influenza vaccine. Multivariate analysis was performed using unconditional logistic regression. We included 461 unvaccinated physicians and 402 unvaccinated nurses. Compared with unvaccinated nurses, unvaccinated physicians had more frequently received seasonal influenza vaccination in the preceding seasons (aOR 1.58; 95% CI 1.11–2.25), and more frequently believed that vaccination of high risk individuals is effective in reducing complications (aOR 2.53; 95% CI 1.30–4.95) and that influenza can be a serious illness (aOR 1.65; 95% CI 1.17–2.32). In contrast, unvaccinated physicians were less concerned about infecting patients (aOR 0.62; 95% CI 0.40–0.96). Unvaccinated nurses had more misconceptions than physicians about influenza and the influenza vaccine and more doubts about the severity of annual influenza epidemics in patients with high risk conditions and the prevention of complications by means of the influenza vaccination. For unvaccinated physicians, strategies to improve vaccination coverage should stress the importance of physicians as a possible source of infection of their patients. The effectiveness of influenza vaccination of high risk persons should be emphasized in nurses.

Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of health professionals in relation to A/H1N1 influenza and its vaccine

OBJECTIVE

To determine the intention of health professionals, doctors and nurses, concerning whether or not to be vaccinated against A/H1N1 influenza virus, and their perception of the severity of this pandemic compared with seasonal flu.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out based on an questionnaire e-mailed to health professionals in public healthcare centres in Vitoria between 6 and 16 November 2009; the percentage of respondents who wanted to be vaccinated and who perceived the pandemic flu to carry a high risk of death were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 115 people completed the questionnaire of whom 61.7% (n=71) were doctors and 38.3% (n=44) were nurses. Of these, 33.3% (n=23) of doctors and 13.6% (n=6) of nurses intended to be vaccinated (p=0.019). Even among those who considered themselves to be at a high risk, 70.6% (n=48) of doctors and 31.7% (n=13) of nurses participating in the study (p=0.001) planned to have the vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS

Most health professionals, and in particular nurses, had no intention to be vaccinated against A/H1N1 influenza virus at the beginning of the vaccination campaign.

[Population-based cross sectional study about vaccine acceptability and perception of the severity of A/H1N1 influenza: opinion of the general population and health professionals]

OBJECTIVES

To determine the intention of general population and health professionals to vaccinate against the H1N1 influenza A virus. To determine the perception of severity of the H1N1 influenza A in both groups compared to that of seasonal influenza.

METHODS

Cross-sectional telephone survey performed to a sample of population (obtained randomly from the Vitoria-Gasteiz telephone directory) and cross-sectional electronically-administered survey to a sample of health professionals from public health centres in Vitoria-Gasteiz, conducted between 6th and 16th November 2009. The relative and absolute frecuency of persons willing to be vaccinated and the proportion of those considering the H1N1 influenza A as a life-threatening risk were calculated in both groups.

RESULTS

219 (33%) persons out of 637 contacted telephone numbers answered the questionnaire, as well as 109 health professionals. 63.0% (n=138) of general population and 73.4% (n=80) of the professional group would not undergo vaccination, even if it was for free (p=0.595). If belonging to a high-risk group, the corresponding proportions of unwillingness were 14.6% (n=32) for general population and 40.4 (n=44) for professionals (p<0.001). The proportion of undecided persons is 25.6% (n=56) in general population, against 6.4% (n=7) among the professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

At the beginning of the vaccination campaign, the majority of population is unwilling to undergo immunization against the H1N1 influenza A virus. The proportion in general population is similar to that among the health professionals. However, when belonging to a high-risk group, there is a high proportion of undecided persons in general population.