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Observational Study
. 2019 Feb;24(6):1800117.
doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.6.1800117.

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about vaccination in primary healthcare workers involved in the administration of systematic childhood vaccines, Barcelona, 2016/17

Camila Andrea Picchio  1   2   3 , Mireia Garcia Carrasco  1   3 , Maria Sagué-Vilavella  4   2   3 , Cristina Rius  4   3   5
Affiliations
Observational Study

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about vaccination in primary healthcare workers involved in the administration of systematic childhood vaccines, Barcelona, 2016/17

Camila Andrea Picchio et al. Euro Surveill. 2019 Feb.

Abstract

BackgroundHealthcare professionals are a reliable and impactful source of information on vaccination for parents and children.ObjectivesWe aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs primary care professionals involved in administration of childhood vaccines in Barcelona have about vaccines and vaccination.MethodsIn 2016/17, surveys were administered in person to every public primary care centre (PCC) with a paediatrics department (n = 41). Paediatricians and paediatric nurses responded to questions about disease susceptibility, severity, vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety, confidence in organisations, key immunisation beliefs, and how they vaccinate or would vaccinate their own children. We used standard descriptive analysis to examine the distribution of key outcome and predictor variables and performed bivariate and multivariate analysis.ResultsCompleted surveys were returned by 277 (81%) of 342 eligible participants. A quarter of the respondents reported doubts about at least one vaccine in the recommended childhood vaccination calendar. Those with vaccine doubts chose the response option 'vaccine-hesitant' for every single key vaccine belief, knowledge and social norm. Specific vaccine knowledge was lacking in up to 40% of respondents and responses regarding the human papilloma virus vaccine were associated with the highest degree of doubt. Being a nurse a risk factor for having vaccine doubts (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 2.0; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.1-3.7) and having children was a predictor of lower risk (ORa = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.2-0.9).ConclusionsDespite high reported childhood immunisation rates in Barcelona, paediatricians and paediatric nurses in PCC had vaccine doubts, especially regarding the HPV vaccine.

Keywords: healthcare workers; infectious diseases; primary care; questionnaire; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine preventable diseases; vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Paediatric health professionals who responded ‘late’, ‘doubts’, or ‘no’ to vaccinating their own children, survey about vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, Barcelona, 2016/17 (n = 277)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Disease susceptibility and severity perceived by paediatric health professionals, survey about vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, Barcelona, 2016/17 (n = 277)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Vaccine safety and effectiveness perceived by paediatric health professionals, survey about vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, Barcelona, 2016/17 (n = 277)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Key beliefs, knowledge and social norms about vaccines, by affirmation, survey among paediatric health professionals, Barcelona, 2016/17 (n = 277)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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