Attitudes towards mandatory vaccination and vaccination coverage against vaccine-preventable diseases among health-care workers in tertiary-care hospitals

Abstract

Objective: To assess the attitudes about mandatory vaccination and vaccination coverage against vaccine-preventable diseases among health-care workers (HCWs) working in tertiary-care hospitals in Greece.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to HCWs working in four tertiary-care hospitals.

Results: In total, 505 HCWs participated in the survey. Self-reported completed vaccination rates were 18.8% against measles, 18.8% against mumps, 22.2% against rubella, 1.9% against varicella, 3.6% against hepatitis A, 56.5% against hepatitis B, and 35.7% against tetanus-diphtheria. Younger age groups had higher completed vaccination rates against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and hepatitis B compared with older HCWs (p-value < 0.001). Self-reported susceptibility rates were 12.7% for measles, 18.9% for mumps, 15.8% for rubella, 15.2% for varicella, 89.9% for hepatitis A, 34.2% for hepatitis B, and 64.3% for tetanus-diphtheria. Sixty three percent of 451 HCWs who answered this question supported mandatory vaccinations for HCWs, with significant differences per target disease. Physicians more frequently supported a mandatory vaccination policy compared to nurses and other professions (72.1% versus 61.9% and 54.2%, respectively; p-value = 0.028).

Conclusions: Approximately two thirds of HCWs working in tertiary-care hospitals in Greece support mandatory vaccinations for HCWs, however suboptimal vaccination rates against vaccine-preventable diseases were recorded.