Sosyal Bilimler ve Sağlık Bülteni

Özgün Makale

No. 12 (2024)

Determining the Immunization Status and Attitudes of Relatives of Patients Admitted to a Medical Faculty Hospital

Submitted
November 4, 2024
Published
2024-11-26

Abstract

Immunization, one of the most important public health interventions, does not receive sufficient attention in adulthood. This study aimed to determine the immunization status of individuals over the age of 18, examine their attitudes towards vaccines, identify obstacles to adult immunization, and raise awareness on this issue.

This cross-sectional study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods. It was conducted between December 10, 2019, and March 17, 2020, at the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, in the General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, General Surgery, and General Pediatrics Outpatient Clinics, with 327 relatives of patients over the age of 18. In the quantitative part of the study, a questionnaire was administered to participants using face-to-face interviews. In the qualitative part, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants.

The mean age of participants was 42.1 ± 14.0 years. Of the participants, 61.2% were female, and 25.1% considered it necessary to vaccinate healthy adults. After the age of 18, 70.3% had received at least one vaccine. The most common vaccines were tetanus (60.9%), influenza (17.4%), and meningococcal (15.3%). Among participants who had never been vaccinated in adulthood, the most common reasons for not being vaccinated were the lack of recommendation from healthcare professionals (54.6%), not considering themselves to be in a risk group (38.1%), and lack of information (32.0%). Additionally, 63.6% of participants reported that they obtained their current knowledge about vaccines from healthcare professionals.

 The study found that participants lacked sufficient knowledge about adult immunization, and immunization rates were lower than optimal. Since organizational factors, healthcare professionals, the healthcare system, and sociocultural factors, as well as individual factors, play important roles in adult immunization, multi-level interventions are needed to increase adult immunization rates. Continuous public education and vaccine recommendations across all areas of health service delivery are essential.

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