COVID-19 Vaccination Attitude and Behavior among Nurses at a West Texas Regional Hospital

Abstract

Vaccinations against COVID-19 infection have become a contentious issue in the United States. Multiple segments of society, including healthcare workers, have expressed concerns regarding the need for vaccination and the safety of current vaccines. Many hospital-based nurses have helped care for patients with severe COVID-19 infections. An anonymous online survey was sent to the nursing staff at University Medical Center in Lubbock, TX, USA, through a hospital-based email system to determine vaccination status and attitudes towards the COVID-19 vaccine and other routine vaccines. Multivariable regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with vaccination. A total of 251 nurses responded to this survey; 211 nurses (83.7%) had received the vaccine. Almost all nurses (242, 96%) had received all childhood vaccinations, and 231 (91.7%) had received an influenza vaccination in the prior year. A minority of nurses (75, 29.8%) supported mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers. The reasons for declining vaccination included the possibility that diet and alternative medications provided better protection against COVID-19. This survey demonstrates that over 80% of nurses working in a hospital managing very sick patients with COVID-19 infection had been vaccinated. However, nurses who did not take the annual influenza vaccine and did not consider other protective measures useful (such as mask-wearing) were significantly less likely to vaccinate. Nurses can provide an important resource for conversations with the public and patients about vaccine initiatives.

COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake and Associated Factors among Health Workers in Nansana Municipality, Central Uganda: A Cross Sectional Study

“…The full prevalence of Covid-19 vaccine uptake among health workers at Nansana municipality stood at 81.6%, similar to a study about Covid-19 vaccine acceptance among health workers in rural Uganda (86.7% vaccine acceptance) [21]. Similarly, a survey conducted at West Texas hospital regarding Covid-19 vaccination attitudes and behaviors among nurses with prevalence above 80% [22] and a survey that assessed Covid-19 vaccine acceptability among health workers in Saudi Arabia with a full Covid-19 vaccine uptake of 91.4% [23].…”

Examination of Nursing Staffs’ Perceptions of the COVID-19 Vaccine Using the Health Belief Model

“…Nursing staff indicated that protecting others’ health was the primary influential factor regarding COVID-19 vaccination, followed closely by the belief that the vaccine will prevent illness and concern for one’s health. Similarly, Peterson et al, 14 in a vaccination survey among another sample of nurses in West Texas hospitals, also found a protection motivation rather than the threat of job loss due to a mandate for COVID vaccination was the deciding factor for a highly vaccinated population of nurses. However, Peterson indicated that concerns over vaccine side effects were significant among unvaccinated nurses.…”