Health Care Workers’ Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Influenza Vaccination in Pregnant Women in Renunakhon District, NakhonPhanom Province

Abstract

          The aim of this research was to explore health care workers’ attitudes and beliefs regarding influenza vaccination in pregnant women in Renunakhon district, Nakhon Phanom. The cross sectional survey study was conducted by collecting data among health care workers in Renunakhon district. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of general knowledge of influenza and recommendation for vaccination during pregnancy. Descriptive analysis method was applied. The result showed that there were 242 health care workers completed questionnaires (89.6 % response rate). One third of them thought that the influenza vaccine was not safe for pregnant women and their fetus. The 40% of them thought that the influenza vaccination could cause a person to get sick with influenza. Approximately 60% of them said that influenza vaccination was an effective way to prevent pregnant women from getting sick with influenza. Almost all of them thought that influenza vaccine should be introduced to pregnant women. Anyway half of them pointed that Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) recommendations regarding influenza vaccination of pregnant women were unclear or confusing. We conclude that many health care workers did not believe in the safety and importance of influenza vaccination during pregnancy. Misinformed health care workers might be a barrier to influenza vaccination coverage of pregnant women. Thus, to improve influenza vaccination knowledge among health care workers should be the priority of MOPH