A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough?
The recent pandemic reminded the world of the high risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) and patient contagiousness along with the healthcare services disruption related to nosocomial outbreaks. This study aims at describing vaccination campaigns within healthcare institutions of a North-Italian Region...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Healthcare |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/1/4 |
| _version_ | 1797543857242505216 |
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| author | Laura Brunelli Francesca Antinolfi Francesca Malacarne Roberto Cocconi Silvio Brusaferro |
| author_facet | Laura Brunelli Francesca Antinolfi Francesca Malacarne Roberto Cocconi Silvio Brusaferro |
| author_sort | Laura Brunelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The recent pandemic reminded the world of the high risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) and patient contagiousness along with the healthcare services disruption related to nosocomial outbreaks. This study aims at describing vaccination campaigns within healthcare institutions of a North-Italian Region and comparing their effectiveness in term of vaccination coverage. In December 2019, we surveyed all healthcare institutions of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region throughout an email questionnaire with 15 questions investigating strategies adopted for the vaccination of HCWs against influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), along with actions put in place in case of a VPD exposure. We found a strong heterogeneity in VPDs prevention and control policy and practice for HCWs, along with responsibility attribution ranging among different stakeholders. Strategies adopted to promote vaccination included a wide range of methods, but HCWs’ influenza vaccination coverage still ranged from 17.0 to 33.3%. Contact tracing after a VPD exposure did not always include medical residents and students and visitors/caregivers/extra personnel as possible contacts. Even if knowledge and complacency gaps among HCWs could be faced with education activities, more efforts should be done in identifying and implementing effective vaccination strategies, and mandatory vaccination for HCWs could be introduced to achieve host, herd, and healthcare immunity preventing possible hospital outbreaks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:51:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-84a761a8925644e681705a932ea2d2f3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9032 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:51:07Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Healthcare |
| spelling | doaj.art-84a761a8925644e681705a932ea2d2f32023-11-21T02:08:30ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322020-12-0191410.3390/healthcare9010004A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough?Laura Brunelli0Francesca Antinolfi1Francesca Malacarne2Roberto Cocconi3Silvio Brusaferro4Department of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyQuality and Accreditation Unit, Friuli Centrale Healthcare University Trust, 33100 Udine, ItalyDepartment of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, ItalyThe recent pandemic reminded the world of the high risk of healthcare workers (HCWs) and patient contagiousness along with the healthcare services disruption related to nosocomial outbreaks. This study aims at describing vaccination campaigns within healthcare institutions of a North-Italian Region and comparing their effectiveness in term of vaccination coverage. In December 2019, we surveyed all healthcare institutions of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region throughout an email questionnaire with 15 questions investigating strategies adopted for the vaccination of HCWs against influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), along with actions put in place in case of a VPD exposure. We found a strong heterogeneity in VPDs prevention and control policy and practice for HCWs, along with responsibility attribution ranging among different stakeholders. Strategies adopted to promote vaccination included a wide range of methods, but HCWs’ influenza vaccination coverage still ranged from 17.0 to 33.3%. Contact tracing after a VPD exposure did not always include medical residents and students and visitors/caregivers/extra personnel as possible contacts. Even if knowledge and complacency gaps among HCWs could be faced with education activities, more efforts should be done in identifying and implementing effective vaccination strategies, and mandatory vaccination for HCWs could be introduced to achieve host, herd, and healthcare immunity preventing possible hospital outbreaks.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/1/4healthcare workersvaccine hesitancyinfluenzavaccine preventable diseasestrategy |
| spellingShingle | Laura Brunelli Francesca Antinolfi Francesca Malacarne Roberto Cocconi Silvio Brusaferro A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? Healthcare healthcare workers vaccine hesitancy influenza vaccine preventable disease strategy |
| title | A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? |
| title_full | A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? |
| title_fullStr | A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? |
| title_short | A Wide Range of Strategies to Cope with Healthcare Workers’ Vaccine Hesitancy in A North-Eastern Italian Region: Are They Enough? |
| title_sort | wide range of strategies to cope with healthcare workers vaccine hesitancy in a north eastern italian region are they enough |
| topic | healthcare workers vaccine hesitancy influenza vaccine preventable disease strategy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/9/1/4 |
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