Vaccination attitudes among Finnish nurses, public health nurses and midwives.

Authors

• Johanna Nurmi Turun yliopisto
• Pia Vuolanto
• Katri-Maria Järvinen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.111097

Keywords:

vaccination, attitudes, nursing personnel, nurses, public health nurses

Abstract

This article examines attitudes toward vaccina-tion among Finnish nurses, public health nurses and midwives before the Covid-19 pandemic. These groups of healthcare workers act as ‘field experts’ of vaccination and can affect vaccination decisions and public discussion on vaccines. Using a multi-method approach, and survey as well as interview data gathered in 2018-2019, we ask how nurses, public health nurses and midwives related to vaccines and how they rationalize their attitudes. We also examine possible differences in vaccine attitudes between professional groups and age groups, and related to work experience and the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Furthermore, we ask whether possible negative attitudes affected the way in which participants recommended vaccines to patients. The survey data (N=1299) were analysed using descriptive methods, principal component analysis as well as one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Interview data comprised of 32 semi-structured interviews that were analysed using content analysis.

Results show that participants had predominantly positive attitudes toward vaccination. However, some respondents voiced concerns and hesitance regarding the safety and necessity of vaccines, as well as criticized mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers. Critical attitudes concerned mostly the newest vaccines in children’s vaccination program. Similarly, healthcare workers’ yearly influenza vaccination raised hesitancy and critique in some participants. As for professional groups, public health nurses had the most positive view on benefits and safety of vaccines. Nurses had the second positive view on benefits and safety of vaccination, and midwives had the least positive attitudes. However, differences between professional groups partially evened out when the use of CAM treatments was considered in the analysis. Results show that use of CAM treatments may increase critical attitudes toward vaccination. This study indicates that healthcare professionals may hesitate to get vaccinated, much like other citizens. However, according to those participants who presented critical views, they still recommended vaccines to their patients.