Attitudes Toward and Factors Affecting Influenza Vaccination Among Physicians and Nurses of a Tertiary-Care Hospital in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey

Aim: Similar to most international health care organizations, the Turkish Ministry of Health strongly recommends influenza vaccination for health care professionals. The aim of this study was to assess the vaccination rates and attitudes of physicians and nurses during the 2011 to 2012 seasonal influenza vaccination at a tertiary-care hospital of the Turkish Ministry of Health. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study participants were physicians and nurses working at the Konya Training and Research Hospital, located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Self-reported (anonymous) questionnaires were given to 192 physicians and 411 nurses (N = 603) who agreed to participate between November 1 and 30, 2011. Frequencies, percentages, chi-square tests, and logistic regression tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: Women comprised 64.1% (n = 387) of the participants, and 63% (n = 380) of participants had been working for >= 5 years. The seasonal influenza vaccination rate for all participants during the 2011 to 2012 season was 16.7% (n = 101). Although 9.5% (n = 57) of the study group had a chronic disease, 71.9% (n = 41) did not receive influenza vaccination (P < 0.05). Additionally, 40.8% (n = 240) reported >= 2 cases of influenza annually, and 82.9% (n = 204) had not been vaccinated. For 12.9% (n = 78) of participants, influenza caused absenteeism from work. Approximately 45% (n = 271) of participants had never been vaccinated, 27% (n = 163) were vaccinated in 2010, and 21.2% (n = 128) planned on being vaccinated in 2012. Among the vaccinated group, 56.4% (n = 57) experienced no side effects, 29.7% (n = 30) experienced local side effects, and 22.8% (n = 23) developed influenza-like syndrome. Conclusion: Similar to other studies in the literature, vaccination rates were not at the desired level. According to our Hospital Infection Committee reports, vaccination rates at our hospital were lower compared with vaccination rates of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The underlying causes of health care professionals abstaining from influenza vaccination should be further evaluated.