Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Oct 25;10(11):1793.
doi: 10.3390/vaccines10111793.

Factors Influencing the Choice to Advise for or against COVID-19 Vaccination in the Physicians and Dentists of an Italian Region

Eleonora Marziali  1 , Alberto Lontano  1 , Luca Regazzi  1 , Andrea Paladini  1 , Leonardo Villani  1 , Giovanna Elisa Calabrò  1 , Gianfranco Damiani  1   2 , Patrizia Laurenti  1   2 , Walter Ricciardi  1 , Chiara Cadeddu  1
Affiliations

Factors Influencing the Choice to Advise for or against COVID-19 Vaccination in the Physicians and Dentists of an Italian Region

Eleonora Marziali et al. Vaccines (Basel). .

Abstract

Healthcare workers (HCWs), particularly physicians, are a relevant and trusted source of information for patients, especially when health-related choices such as vaccination are concerned. Between July and November 2022, we administered a web-based survey to physicians and dentists living in the Latio region of Italy to explore whether their background might affect their willingness to recommend the COVID-19 vaccination to their patients (RCVtoPat) and their relatives (RCVtoRel). We performed a multivariable logistic regression to study the association between the two outcomes (RCVtoPat and RCVtoRel) and their potential determinants in our sample (n = 1464). We found that being a dentist, an increasing fear of COVID-19, and having been previously vaccinated against flu are positively associated with both RCVtoPat and RCVtoRel, while a better self-rated knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines is associated only with RCVtoRel. No role was found for age, sex, civil status, education level, information sources, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, and chronic diseases. A sub-group analysis of physicians alone (n = 1305) demonstrated a positive association with RCVtoRel of being specialized in diagnostic/therapeutic services and a negative effect on RCVtoPat of being trained in general practice. We provide useful insights about the factors that should be addressed to ensure HCWs exert a positive influence on their patients and communities.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccines; Italy; dentists; information sources; physicians; vaccine hesitancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Infografica Web—Dati Della Sorveglianza Integrata COVID-19 in Italia. [(accessed on 5 October 2022)]. Available online: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/coronavirus/sars-cov-2-dashboard.
    1. Bianchi F.P., Germinario C.A., Migliore G., Vimercati L., Martinelli A., Lobifaro A., Tafuri S., Stefanizzi P., Amoruso F., Capodiferro L., et al. BNT162b2 MRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in the Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Preliminary Report. J. Infect Dis. 2021;224:431–434. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab262. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baden L.R., el Sahly H.M., Essink B., Kotloff K., Frey S., Novak R., Diemert D., Spector S.A., Rouphael N., Creech C.B., et al. Efficacy and Safety of the MRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine. New Engl. J. Med. 2021;384:403–416. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2035389. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Piano Nazionale Di Vaccinazione COVID-19. [(accessed on 5 October 2022)]. Available online: https://www.epicentro.iss.it/vaccini/covid-19-piano-vaccinazione.
    1. Cadeddu C., Rosano A., Villani L., Coiante G.B., Minicucci I., Pascucci D., Waure C. de Planning and Organization of the COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign: An Overview of Eight European Countries. Vaccines. 2022;10:1631. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10101631. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources