Abstract
Objective
The COVID-19 vaccine may hold the key to ending the pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy is hindering the vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP).
Design
Before-after trial
Participants and setting
Healthcare personnel at a 790-bed tertiary care center in Tokyo, Japan.
Interventions
A pre-vaccination questionnaire was administered to HCP to examine their perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, a multifaceted intervention involving (1) distribution of informational leaflets to all HCP, (2) hospital-wide announcements encouraging vaccination, (3) a mandatory lecture, (4) an educational session about the vaccine for pregnant or breastfeeding HCP, and (5) allergy testing for HCP at risk of allergic reactions to the vaccine was implemented. A post-vaccination survey was also performed.
Results
Of 1,575 HCP eligible for enrollment, 1,224 (77.7%) responded to the questionnaire, 43.5% (n =533) expressed willingness to be vaccinated, 48.4% (n = 593) were uncertain, and 8.0% (n=98) expressed unwillingness to be vaccinated. The latter two groups were concerned about the vaccine’s safety rather than its efficacy. Post-intervention, the overall vaccination rate reached 89.7% (1,413/1,575), with 88.9% (614/691) of the pre-vaccination survey respondents who answered “unwilling” or “unsure” eventually receiving a vaccination. In the post-vaccination questionnaire, factors contributing to increased COVID-19 vaccination included information and endorsement of vaccination at the medical center (26.4%; 274/1,037).
Conclusions
The present, multifaceted intervention increased COVID-19 vaccinations among HCP at a Japanese hospital. Frequent support and provision of information were crucial for increasing the vaccination rate and may be applicable to the general population as well.
A Multifaceted Intervention to Reduce Pandrug‐ResistantAcinetobacter baumanniiColonization and Infection in 3 Intensive Care Units in a Thai Tertiary Care Center: A 3‐Year Study
