Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sources of Information on Vaccines in Spanish Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Effects of Simulation on Nursing students' Knowledge and Learning Related to Measles Vaccine and Vaccine Hesitancy: A Mixed Method Study

Vaccine hesitancy is a persistent, global public health concern that community health nurses are well-positioned to manage. Simulations involving standardized patients are effective experiential learning on managing vaccine hesitancy for other allied health disciplines. A pretest-posttest design, with a mixed-methods, one-group, quasi-experimental approach, was used to examine the effectiveness of a simulation on nursing students' knowledge of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine hesitancy, as well as their attitudes toward the intervention. The study was completed with 61 participants. After participation in the simulation, pretest/posttest data showed a mean increase in participants' knowledge of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. There was a significant improvement in the test scores from 62.62 ± 14.82 to 69.50 ± 15.75; z = -3, 897 (1-17 days) (p = 0.001). A postintervention questionnaire revealed participants most appreciated the direct interaction with a live person, the opportunity to observe classmates' performance and share feedback, multistage structure, and safety. Drawbacks included stress from being observed by peers, time constraints, and the necessity of sharing the nursing role with a partner during the scenario. Another drawback is the simulation's inability to effectively prepare participants for hesitancy in clinical settings as they needed to assess natural clinical settings. Simulations incorporating vaccine hesitancy education and standardized patients can effectively prepare nursing students for situations related to vaccine hesitancy in community clinical settings.

Influenza Vaccination of Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study of Uptake, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Greece

Influenza immunization includes a yearly repeated vaccine offered to every healthcare worker, including nursing students, with a high risk of contracting this viral disease. This study aimed to investigate the vaccination coverage, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nursing students against influenza in Greece. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Attica region between September 2022 and July 2023, with the use of an anonymous reference questionnaire. Data from 1261 nursing students were recorded (response rate: 68.6%). The study found that 23% of the sample were vaccinated against influenza for the flu season 2022-2023, and 42% were vaccinated for the previous flu season. Knowledge scores regarding influenza ranged from 0% to 100%, with a mean value of 55 (SD = 18.8%). A higher level of knowledge about influenza was associated with more appropriate attitudes and practices toward the disease (p < 0.001). Notably, participants in their second, third, or fourth year of study and beyond exhibited more suitable attitudes and practices towards the flu compared to those in their first year of study (p < 0.05). The emergence of low vaccination coverage identifies the need for departments of nursing studies to proceed with the design of educational and intervention programs on infection control.

Mapping Adult Vaccine Confidence in Future Health Professionals: A Pilot Study among Undergraduate Students at Two Universities in Greece

Health professionals' recommendations increase vaccine uptake. We aimed to document stances, practices regarding adult vaccination, and their predictors among undergraduate medical and biomedical science students, as well as their perspectives on increasing vaccine confidence. Among the 430 participants, third-year students from two universities in Greece, only 25.4% were in favor of all vaccines, while no refuters were detected. Predictors of recommending vaccination were the Attitudes Towards Adult Vaccination (ATAVAC) Value (OR 3.26, p < 0.001) and ATAVAC Safety subscales scores (OR 1.36, p < 0.05), being a medical student (OR 2.45, p < 0.05), and having better self-rated health status (OR 2.27, p < 0.05). The importance of getting vaccinated as health professionals was recognized by participants with a higher ATAVAC value (OR 5.39, p < 0.001), ATAVAC Safety scores (OR 1.46, p < 0.05), and increased knowledge regarding the National Immunization Program (OR 1.31, p < 0.05). The God Locus of Health Control (GLHC) was a predictor only in vaccination against COVID-19 (OR 0.91, p < 0.05). Improving community health literacy and health providers' education, boosting trust in authorities, and adopting a person-centered approach emerged as the main themes regarding how to increase vaccine confidence. Mapping health professionals' confidence in vaccines and providing lifelong training support is pivotal in supporting positive attitudes, enhancing their competence, and promoting vaccination in the post-COVID-19 era.

Barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Australian health professional students during the pandemic: a nationwide study

Using a cross-sectional online survey we investigated knowledge, attitudes, and risk perception about COVID-19 vaccination and identified factors influencing vaccine uptake among Australian health professional students from October 2021 to January 2022. We analysed data from 1114 health professional students from 17 Australian universities. Most participants were enrolled in nursing programs (n = 958, 86.8%), and 91.6% (n = 858) of the participants received COVID-19 vaccination. Approximately 27% believed COVID-19 was no more serious than seasonal influenza and that they had a low risk of acquiring COVID-19. Nearly 20% disagreed that COVID-19 vaccines in Australia were safe and perceived they were at higher-risk of acquiring COVID infection than the general population. Higher-risk perception viewing vaccination as their professional responsibility, and vaccine mandate strongly predicted vaccination behaviour. Participants consider COVID-19 information from health professionals, government websites, and World Health Organization as the most trusted information sources. The findings highlight that healthcare decision-makers and university administrators need to monitor students' hesitancy with vaccination to improve students' promotion of the vaccination to the general population.

Indonesian nursing students' intention to accept COVID-19 vaccines: an online, multicentre survey

BACKGROUND

The determinants of intention to accept the COVID-19 vaccine and associated factors among nursing students during this pandemic need to be identified.

AIMS

The study assessed nursing students' attitudes to vaccination, health engagement and trust in government, as well as their intention to have a COVID-19 vaccination.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out among nursing students in three provinces of Java, Indonesia, from December 2020 to February 2021. Convenience sampling was used to gather primary data from 640 participants through a structured online survey. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the results.

FINDINGS

All items of vaccine attitude and health engagement as well as trust in government were positive predictors of vaccine acceptance after adjusting for confounding factors.

CONCLUSION

Nursing students were more likely to accept vaccination if they had a positive attitude to vaccination, high levels of health engagement and trust in the government regarding tackling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Attitude towards Vaccination of Health Sciences Students at a Spanish University Improved over the First 18 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

It is important to know the attitudes of students of health sciences (SHSs) towards vaccination since they will be tomorrow's health professionals. Vaccination is a powerful tool in the fight against COVID-19. The aim of the present, cross-sectional study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the attitude of SHSs towards vaccination. Data were collected in the form of a questionnaire from all students of nursing, physiotherapy and chiropody matriculated at a Madrid University for the academic year 2019/2020 (i.e., before the start of the pandemic [Q1]), and from all those matriculated for the year 2021/22 (i.e., c18 months after the pandemic was declared [Q2]). A multivariate analysis was performed to identify the influence of sex, degree being studied, course year and the time of answering (Q1 or Q2), on the dimensions Beliefs, Behaviours and General Attitude. Overall, 1894 questionnaires were returned (934 [49.3%] for Q1, and 960 [50.7%] for Q2), of which 70.5% were completed by students of nursing, 14% by students of physiotherapy and 15.4% by those studying chiropody. In Q2, the results for all three dimensions were significantly better (p < 0.05). The most important influencing factors were being a student of nursing, being in the final years of training (years 3 or 4), female gender and answering at the time of Q2. The results obtained are encouraging since student nurses (who showed Q1 and Q2 General Attitude scores of 3.34 and 3.47 (maximum possible 4), respectively [p < 0.05]) are the health professionals of tomorrow most likely to be involved in vaccination programmes.