Background: Several studies have revealed low vaccinations coverage among health-care workers (HCWs) for all vaccinations. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of the implementation of an on-site vaccination-dedicated clinic on the vaccination coverage rates of HCWs.
Research design and methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study was carried out among undergraduate and postgraduate students attending medical and health-care professions schools.
Results: We enrolled 804 students, 404 in the control and 400 in the experimental group. A significantly higher increase of vaccination coverage in the experimental group than in the control group for all the investigated vaccinations (p < 0.001) was found. The odds of adherence to vaccinations in the experimental group, compared to the control group, ranged from 6.9-fold (95% CI 3.51-13.44) to 18.9-fold (95% CI 10.85-32.96). The increase in the coverage rate in the control group was between 2.5% and 3.5%, whereas in the experimental group, higher increases were found, ranging from 34.8% to 71%.
Conclusions: The extraordinary increase in the adherence to HCWs recommended vaccinations found in the study seems to indicate a significant role of enabling factors in the complex process of decision-making and implementation of health-related behaviors.
Keywords: Health-care workers; occupational risk; on-site vaccination-dedicated clinic; recommended vaccinations; vaccination coverage.