Investigation of Home Health Care Patients' Attitudes and Behaviors Against COVID-19 Vaccines

Abstract

Introduction: We aimed to find the attitudes and behaviours of home health patients towards COVID-19 vaccines, the rates of vaccination, and the reasons for not getting the vaccine. Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with patients who were accepted to join this research and reachable (N:1012) registered in the Home Health Services unit of a training and research hospital in Izmir between December 2021 and March 2022. The study was conducted by contacting the patient or their relatives by phone, visiting them at home, or applying a questionnaire during their application to the polyclinic unit. Questionnaire; It consists of 15 questions that help us learn the patient's sociodemographic characteristics, current health status, and attitudes and behaviors about vaccines. The prepared database has entered the IBMSPSS 24.0 program. Results: The mean age of the participants in the study was 77.4±16.2 years. 68.6% of the participants were women. 63% of them are fully dependent on the bed. In our study, the rate of patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine was 83.2%. 91.1% of the vaccinated individuals had the Sinovac vaccine, which was first provided to the patients. 66.1% of vaccinated individuals have accessed vaccination services at home. Those who have higher educational levels have higher vaccination rates. Those who received information from their family doctor were significantly more likely to be vaccinated. Participants most frequently stated that they were not vaccinated because they thought they did not have enough information about COVID-19 vaccines and were worried about possible side effects. Conclusion: According to this study, patients registered with Home Care Unit have a high rate of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.