Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Relating to Adverse Events Following Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Providers in Taiwan, 2015

Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Relating to Adverse Events Following Seasonal Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Providers in Taiwan, 2015

Reporting adverse event following immunization (AEFI) is important to assure the safety of seasonal influenza vaccines. In Taiwan, most AEFI are reported by healthcare providers (HCP), but the knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to AEFI reporting among HCP have not been well studied. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among HCP who have involved in national influenza immunization programs to assess their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding AEFI after influenza vaccination. Responses were obtained from 5,732 participants, an overall response rate of 73%. A majority of HCP (70%) showed good awareness of AEFI and event reporting, but only 0.4% obtained full marks on the knowledge survey. Most HCP showed a positive attitude to AEFI reporting with a mean score 35 out of full marks of 50. About 90% of HCP always informed vaccinees about possible AEFI. Among all participants, 19% indicated that they had ever identified an AEFI after influenza vaccination. Of those who had ever identified an AEFI, 34% had ever reported an AEFI. Male, physicians and pharmacists had higher scores in knowledge and attitudes. Pediatric HCP had higher knowledge scores but lower attitude scores and were less likely to report an AEFI compared to non-pediatrics. ＂Not sure if influenza vaccines cause the event＂ and ＂the event is commonly expected＂ were the two main reasons HCP keep from reporting AEFI. More education on identifying AEFI and process of reporting is needed to improve the knowledge of AEFI among HCP. In-depth interviews or direct observation of practice would be helpful for better understanding of the barriers to AEFI reporting among different HCP groups.