Health literacy, attitudes and vaccination practices among hospital employees in an insular region of Greece

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Vaccination is a key public health intervention, contributing both to the promotion of occupational health and safety among healthcare workers and to the improvement of population health overall.

Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the vaccination coverage, knowledge, attitudes, and practices of employees at a hospital located in an insular region of Greece regarding vaccinations that promote occupational health and safety.

Material and Method: A stratified convenience sampling method was applied to the study population. Data were collected using an anonymous, self-administered, paper-based questionnaire specifically adapted for the purposes of the present study. The study sample consisted of 254 hospital employees (38.84% response rate) representing all healthcare sectors.

Results: According to the self-reported vaccination coverage, 37.4% had been vaccinated for hepatitis A, 70.5% for hepatitis B, 44.1% for MMR, 23.2% for varicella, 55.9% for Tdap/Td, 70.9% for seasonal influenza and 97.2% for Sars-Cov2. Medical professionals showed higher vaccination and knowledge rates than other healthcare workers. The Hospital Infections Control Committee was the main source of information. The majority of respondents (51.6%) believe that hesitancy toward vaccination is due to the possibility of an allergic reaction. Regarding the nature of vaccinations for Healthcare Professionals, the majority believes that they should be optional (42.1%), strongly recommended by 41.3% and mandatory by only 16.5%.

Conclusions: Improving vaccination coverage, health literacy, and attitudes and behaviors of healthcare workers towards vaccines should be a key objective of Public Health policies.

Keywords: health literacy, knowledge, health professionals, vaccination coverage