Promoting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among healthcare personnel: A multifaceted intervention at a tertiary-care center in Japan

Abstract

Objective The COVID-19 vaccine may hold the key to ending the pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy is hindering the vaccination of healthcare personnel (HCP). Design Before-after trial Participants and setting Healthcare personnel at a 790-bed tertiary care center in Tokyo, Japan. Interventions A pre-vaccination questionnaire was administered to HCP to examine their perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine. Then, a multifaceted intervention involving (1) distribution of informational leaflets to all HCP, (2) hospital-wide announcements encouraging vaccination, (3) a mandatory lecture, (4) an educational session about the vaccine for pregnant or breastfeeding HCP, and (5) allergy testing for HCP at risk of allergic reactions to the vaccine was implemented. A post-vaccination survey was also performed. Results Of 1,575 HCP eligible for enrollment, 1,224 (77.7%) responded to the questionnaire, 43.5% (n =533) expressed willingness to be vaccinated, 48.4% (n = 593) were uncertain, and 8.0% (n=98) expressed unwillingness to be vaccinated. The latter two groups were concerned about the vaccine’s safety rather than its efficacy. Post-intervention, the overall vaccination rate reached 89.7% (1,413/1,575), with 88.9% (614/691) of the pre-vaccination survey respondents who answered “unwilling” or “unsure” eventually receiving a vaccination. In the post-vaccination questionnaire, factors contributing to increased COVID-19 vaccination included information and endorsement of vaccination at the medical center (26.4%; 274/1,037). Conclusions The present, multifaceted intervention increased COVID-19 vaccinations among HCP at a Japanese hospital. Frequent support and provision of information were crucial for increasing the vaccination rate and may be applicable to the general population as well.

COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers—A Review

“…The center noted an increase in vaccination rate among those who were initially unsure about vaccination (88.9%) and "unwilling" (67.3%). Respondents to the post-intervention questionnaire felt that the information leaflets (88.2%) and e-learning opportunities (84.2%) were the most effective [242]. A review of interventions at over 400 US nursing homes found that nursing homes with higher coverage provide non-monetary rewards, paid time-off, goal setting, and expert-led educational sessions.…”

Exploring COVID‐19 education to support vaccine confidence amongst the general adult population with special considerations for healthcare and long‐term care staff: A scoping review

“…Presentations were the most commonly employed format for delivering educational intervention across both rounds (Round 1: 85%, Round 2: 68%) (Figure 4, Supporting Information: eTable ). Presentations included, for example, webinars (Kelkar et al, 2021; NICE, 2021; Peteet et al, 2021; Traynor, 2021), coaching sessions (Abdel‐Qader et al 2021, 2022), town halls (AuYoung et al, 2022; Berry et al, 2021; Garcia, 2021; Ginder‐Vogel, 2021; Hopper, 2021; Wagner et al, 2022), lectures (Abou Leila et al, 2021; Talmy et al, 2021), educational sessions (Spelman et al, 2022a; Takamatsu et al, 2021), information sessions (Gakuba et al, 2021; WCAX, 2021; Wiley, 2021), ‘Ask a Doc’ sessions (Bouchard, 2021; Feifer et al, 2021), train‐the‐trainer sessions (Quinn & Andrasik, 2021), and Q&A sessions (Garcia, 2021; Tesfaye, 2022). Virtual presentations whereby participants were able to ask questions, allowed for meaningful active dialogue and bidirectional communication between the speakers and audience, as noted (AuYoung et al, 2022).…”

“…Lastly, those in the healthcare or LTC sectors were the priority population in over a third (38%) and one-fifth (21%) of studies in Round 1 and 2, respectively. This included healthcare personnel in a tertiary-care centre (Takamatsu et al, 2021), Intensive Care Unit staff (Gakuba et al, 2021), nursing home staff and their families (Feifer et al, 2021)…”

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

“…Healthcare worker vaccination status is of interest to hospitals and healthcare systems for patient and employee safety and meeting regulations regarding employee safety requirements. Several interventions have been studied for vaccine-hesitant HCWs, including email reminders, vaccine education, and monetary incentives and non-monetary incentives [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The hope is that these methods can address safety concerns, dispel misinformation, and provide incentives that can increase vaccination rates.…”