Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary
In Italy, from April 2021, healthcare workers were required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; if they refused it, an immediate unpaid suspension was implemented until they received the vaccine. Although there are numerous quantitative studies on the factors that influenced vaccine hesitancy during th...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-07-01
|
| Series: | Vaccines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1239 |
| _version_ | 1797587300034543616 |
|---|---|
| author | Serena Picelli Matteo Danielis Renzo Zanotti |
| author_facet | Serena Picelli Matteo Danielis Renzo Zanotti |
| author_sort | Serena Picelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Italy, from April 2021, healthcare workers were required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; if they refused it, an immediate unpaid suspension was implemented until they received the vaccine. Although there are numerous quantitative studies on the factors that influenced vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative research on the causes of vaccine refusal is still missing. This research aimed to investigate the phenomenon of nurses who refused to receive COVID-19 vaccination despite being required to do so, as well as the reasons behind their refusal. Furthermore, the actions of those who abandoned this stance were explored. This was a qualitative study involving the methodological approach of grounded theory. Twenty-four nurses were interviewed virtually via Zoom from May to July 2022. Anti-vax behavior—as emerged from nurses’ experiences—was based on seven themes: (1) job satisfaction, (2) the main sources of information on COVID-19, (3) the reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, (4) the attitudes of family members toward the COVID-19 vaccine, (5) previous experience with other vaccines, (6) firm opposition to the vaccine (unvaccinated nurses), (7) reluctant acceptance (vaccinated nurses). It was shown that it is imperative for health authorities to adopt timely, documented, transparent, and consistent communication when carrying out public health campaigns, especially for vaccination. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:34:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-622cb13956ac42eab32f4bb7ac03e458 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:34:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-622cb13956ac42eab32f4bb7ac03e4582023-11-18T21:41:34ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2023-07-01117123910.3390/vaccines11071239Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without SalarySerena Picelli0Matteo Danielis1Renzo Zanotti2Laboratory of Studies and Evidence Based Nursing, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, 35131 Padova, ItalyLaboratory of Studies and Evidence Based Nursing, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, 35131 Padova, ItalyLaboratory of Studies and Evidence Based Nursing, Department of Medicine, University of Padua, 35131 Padova, ItalyIn Italy, from April 2021, healthcare workers were required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine; if they refused it, an immediate unpaid suspension was implemented until they received the vaccine. Although there are numerous quantitative studies on the factors that influenced vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative research on the causes of vaccine refusal is still missing. This research aimed to investigate the phenomenon of nurses who refused to receive COVID-19 vaccination despite being required to do so, as well as the reasons behind their refusal. Furthermore, the actions of those who abandoned this stance were explored. This was a qualitative study involving the methodological approach of grounded theory. Twenty-four nurses were interviewed virtually via Zoom from May to July 2022. Anti-vax behavior—as emerged from nurses’ experiences—was based on seven themes: (1) job satisfaction, (2) the main sources of information on COVID-19, (3) the reasons for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, (4) the attitudes of family members toward the COVID-19 vaccine, (5) previous experience with other vaccines, (6) firm opposition to the vaccine (unvaccinated nurses), (7) reluctant acceptance (vaccinated nurses). It was shown that it is imperative for health authorities to adopt timely, documented, transparent, and consistent communication when carrying out public health campaigns, especially for vaccination.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1239COVID-19mandatory vaccinationsvaccine hesitancynursesItaly |
| spellingShingle | Serena Picelli Matteo Danielis Renzo Zanotti Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary Vaccines COVID-19 mandatory vaccinations vaccine hesitancy nurses Italy |
| title | Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary |
| title_full | Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary |
| title_fullStr | Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary |
| title_full_unstemmed | Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary |
| title_short | Better to Be Unpaid than COVID-19 Vaccinated! A Qualitative Study on Italian Nurses Suspended from Work without Salary |
| title_sort | better to be unpaid than covid 19 vaccinated a qualitative study on italian nurses suspended from work without salary |
| topic | COVID-19 mandatory vaccinations vaccine hesitancy nurses Italy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1239 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT serenapicelli bettertobeunpaidthancovid19vaccinatedaqualitativestudyonitaliannursessuspendedfromworkwithoutsalary AT matteodanielis bettertobeunpaidthancovid19vaccinatedaqualitativestudyonitaliannursessuspendedfromworkwithoutsalary AT renzozanotti bettertobeunpaidthancovid19vaccinatedaqualitativestudyonitaliannursessuspendedfromworkwithoutsalary |