Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for two years as of 2022, and it is common knowledge that vaccines are an essential tool to mitigate the health, economic, and social fallout. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is still a serious global problem, both in the general population and among healthcare work...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1026 |
| _version_ | 1797415203683434496 |
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| author | Robert Susło Piotr Pobrotyn Artur Mierzecki Jarosław Drobnik |
| author_facet | Robert Susło Piotr Pobrotyn Artur Mierzecki Jarosław Drobnik |
| author_sort | Robert Susło |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for two years as of 2022, and it is common knowledge that vaccines are an essential tool to mitigate the health, economic, and social fallout. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is still a serious global problem, both in the general population and among healthcare workers. The authors used an original questionnaire to conduct an anonymous survey study in the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław, Poland, in April and May of 2021 after acquiring consent from the Medical University of Wrocław, Poland Bioethical Committee. The study results demonstrate that, to a significant extent, the decisions concerning vaccinations are based on factors that are difficult to change with rational argumentation, including people’s personal opinions or beliefs concerning vaccinations and their earlier experiences with vaccinations. The study results suggest that the impregnating effect of one’s own opinions, beliefs, and experiences can be surmounted if vaccines are dispensed free and conveniently while the pathogen is irrationally and emotionally perceived as untamed and possibly severe and life threatening. It makes a significant difference as in such cases that the percentage of participants whose decisions concerning vaccination are influenced by the risks to life or health of one’s own or others rises by about 27 and 36 percent points, respectively. Therefore, in order to succeed, campaigns for vaccinations need to include strong subjective and emotional communication, appealing to negative emotions and exploiting the public’s fear of the unknown while stressing tangible and personal threats possibly resulting from acquiring a vaccine-preventable infectious disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:45:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b538829b4e3a4501944ef65d5ad37ad7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:45:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-b538829b4e3a4501944ef65d5ad37ad72023-12-03T12:22:12ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-06-01107102610.3390/vaccines10071026Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19Robert Susło0Piotr Pobrotyn1Artur Mierzecki2Jarosław Drobnik3Epidemiology and Medical Education Unit, Population Health Department, Health Sciences Faculty, Wrocław Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, PolandCitodent, 50-403 Wrocław, PolandFamily Medicine Department, General Medicine and Dentistry Faculty, Medical University in Szczecin, 70-203 Szczecin, PolandEpidemiology and Medical Education Unit, Population Health Department, Health Sciences Faculty, Wrocław Medical University, 50-556 Wrocław, PolandThe COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for two years as of 2022, and it is common knowledge that vaccines are an essential tool to mitigate the health, economic, and social fallout. Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is still a serious global problem, both in the general population and among healthcare workers. The authors used an original questionnaire to conduct an anonymous survey study in the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław, Poland, in April and May of 2021 after acquiring consent from the Medical University of Wrocław, Poland Bioethical Committee. The study results demonstrate that, to a significant extent, the decisions concerning vaccinations are based on factors that are difficult to change with rational argumentation, including people’s personal opinions or beliefs concerning vaccinations and their earlier experiences with vaccinations. The study results suggest that the impregnating effect of one’s own opinions, beliefs, and experiences can be surmounted if vaccines are dispensed free and conveniently while the pathogen is irrationally and emotionally perceived as untamed and possibly severe and life threatening. It makes a significant difference as in such cases that the percentage of participants whose decisions concerning vaccination are influenced by the risks to life or health of one’s own or others rises by about 27 and 36 percent points, respectively. Therefore, in order to succeed, campaigns for vaccinations need to include strong subjective and emotional communication, appealing to negative emotions and exploiting the public’s fear of the unknown while stressing tangible and personal threats possibly resulting from acquiring a vaccine-preventable infectious disease.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1026vaccinationhuman influenzaCOVID-19hospital staffvaccination refusalvaccination hesitancy |
| spellingShingle | Robert Susło Piotr Pobrotyn Artur Mierzecki Jarosław Drobnik Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 Vaccines vaccination human influenza COVID-19 hospital staff vaccination refusal vaccination hesitancy |
| title | Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 |
| title_full | Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 |
| title_fullStr | Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 |
| title_short | Fear of Illness and Convenient Access to Vaccines Appear to Be the Missing Keys to Successful Vaccination Campaigns: Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Decisions of Hospital Staff in Poland concerning Vaccination against Influenza and COVID-19 |
| title_sort | fear of illness and convenient access to vaccines appear to be the missing keys to successful vaccination campaigns analysis of the factors influencing the decisions of hospital staff in poland concerning vaccination against influenza and covid 19 |
| topic | vaccination human influenza COVID-19 hospital staff vaccination refusal vaccination hesitancy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/7/1026 |
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