Comparision Study On The Knowledge and Attitude Between Healthcare Workers Based On Educational materials of Nucleotie Based Vaccines

Abstract

Background With the implementation of nucleotide-based vaccines (NBVs) in the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, a wide controversy surrounding NBVs has become a heated subject of debate, and it did not spare healthcare workers (HCW) and staff. HCW have a powerful influence on the acceptance of NBVs by the general public. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers regarding this new vaccine technology. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using an online survey involving health workers in Jordan. The survey assessed the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude about the safety and efficacy if NBVs. The study population was divided into two groups, educated and uneducated groups, whereby the former received a small educational pamphlet on NBVs. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare between the response of the two groups. Results A total of 330 health workers participated in this study. Respondents believed that RNA-based NBVs would be a safer option compared to DNA-based ones, with the educated group showing significant difference. The notion of NBVs being a form of gene therapy was more common among the educated group. The majority of the participants, particularly amongst the uneducated group, were concerned about undiscovered effects of NBVs. Respondents also agreed that NBVs must be reevaluated in phase 1 trials. As for efficacy, our study population agreed that these vaccines would prevent severe illness. Conclusions Although healthcare workers have positive knowledge and attitude towards NBVs, misconceptions and skepticism exist and must be addressed with more education efforts.