Ankara İli Etimesgut İlçesinde Yer Alan Aile Sağlığı Merkezlerinde Görev Yapan Sağlık Çalışanlarının Aşılama Hakkındaki Bilgi, Görüş ve Davranışları

Abstract

Özaltun Ş.C., Knowledge, Thoughts, and Behaviors of Healthcare Workers Regarding Vaccination in Family Health Centers in Etimesgut District of Ankara, Hacettepe University Graduate School of Health Sciences Vaccinology Program Master Thesis, Ankara, 2023. This research was conducted to determine the demographic characteristics, vaccine and cold chain-related knowledge, and vaccination-related trust and doubt-related thoughts of healthcare workers working in primary healthcare institutions. It is a descriptive epidemiological study. A total of 347 healthcare workers actively working in 44 Family Health Centers in the Etimesgut district were included in the study, and 224 participants were reached (%64 participation rate). Participants completed the data collection form online. Of the healthcare workers participating in the study, 83.9% were women, with an average age of 42.3 and an average duration of 7.05 years in the Family Health Centers. The majority of participants (83.5%) were healthcare workers with vaccine or cold chain responsibilities. Healthcare workers had sufficient knowledge about the required intervals between vaccinations and cold chain management, but a small portion knew that aspiration (41.1%) and wearing gloves (22.8%) were not necessary during vaccination. Regular influenza vaccination was reported by 20.5% in the last five years, and 46.9% in the 2021/2022 season. The most common reason for not getting vaccinated was the belief that vaccines were unnecessary (59.1%) and ineffective (19.1%). The most frequently recommended vaccines for their patients were Td (95.1%), hepatitis B (80.4%), and influenza (78.1%). The most frequently inquired patient groups for vaccination were pregnant women and high-risk patients, while vaccination inquiries for those aged 65 and over were the lowest (71.0%). 29.0% of the participants agreed or were undecided that the measles vaccine triggered autism. The most common positive opinions about vaccines included adult vaccination as a good protection method (97.3%) and the safety of vaccines (83.0%), while trust in vaccine-producing companies was at a level of 41.5%. It was found that nurses were more knowledgeable about vaccination practices, doctors had more positive views on adult vaccination, and influenza vaccination behaviors were higher (p<0.05).