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Abstract
Objective: Influenza infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity, mortality and productivity loss all over the world. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for healthcare workers, but the percentage of healthcare workers vaccinated against influenza and their attitudes towards vaccination are not at the desired level. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reasons for the reluctance of healthcare workers towards influenza vaccination.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted among 115 out of 230 healthcare workers working in a hospital for chest diseases. A survey was conducted with a total of nine questions to determine their attitudes towards influenza vaccination. Results were evaluated statistically to observe the significance of discrepancies using the Pearson χ2 correlation and Fisher’s exact tests. The results were accepted as statistically significant if p value was lower than 0.05.
Results: The participants were 67% (n=77) female and 33% (n=38) male. The influenza vaccination rate among all participants during the 2015-2016 season was 4.3% (n=5). The most important reasons for reluctance to be vaccinated with influenza vaccine were to disbelieve the necessity of vaccine (64.5%), to prefer other protection methods (40.9%) and to refrain from adverse effects profile (39.1%).
Conclusions: It is possible to increase the percentage of healthcare workers who are vaccinated by increasing awareness and education for vaccination. Consequently, knowledge about current vaccination rates and attitudes about vaccination among healthcare personnel can play an important role in successful vaccination programs all over the country.