Vaccination Status of Employees at Trakya University Health Center for Medical Research & Practice (Hospital) and Edirne Sultan 1. Murat State Hospital with Vaccines Recommended for Health Workers

Abstract

Aim: Healthcare workers are exposed to vaccine-preventable disease agents due to their contact with patients and their infectious agents. The aim of this study is to determine the status of vaccination of physicians, nurses, midwives, health officers, laboratory workers and health technicians working Trakya University Health Center for Medical Research Practice (Hospital) and Edirne Sultan 1. Murat State Hospital with the vaccines recommended for healthcare workers. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted with healthcare professionals working in Trakya University Health Center for Medical Research Practice (Hospital) and Edirne Sultan 1. Murat State Hospital. Results: A total of 293 questionnaires were analyzed. 37.2% of health workers stated that they did not have at least one vaccine among the vaccines recommended by the Ministry of Health. Vaccination rates of the participants are as follows: 84.7% Hepatitis B, 78.2% Td, 69.4% Measles-Rubella-Mumps (MMR), 68.1% Diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DBT), 35.3% Chickenpox, 29.8% Hepatitis A and 10.6% of Meningococcal vaccine. When participants were asked about their lifetime influenza vaccination status, the results showed that 48.8% had never received it, 21.6% had received it once, 26.1% had received it multiple times, and 3.4% received it annually. Conclusion: The status of health workers to have the recommended vaccinations is lower than expected. Raising awareness of the importance of vaccination due to occupational risks and eliminating hesitations in influenza vaccination may help in improving vaccination rates.