INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of family healthcare providers on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 67 (91.8%) of the total 73 family healthcare professionals in Samandağ, Hatay, Turkey, were included. A questionnaire comprising 17 questions, including questions on the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics of the health professionals and their attitude toward COVID-19 vaccines, was used.
RESULTS: In the study, 67 healthcare professionals were included. The median age was 40.0 (26.0–62.0) years, and 40 (59.7%) of the participants were females. Of the participants, 19 (28.4%) had been diagnosed with at least one chronic disease, and 14 (20.9%) were living together with an individual over 65 years of age. Of the participants, 24 (35.8%) stated their willingness to get vaccinated if a COVID-19 vaccine gets approved in Turkey, and 29 (43.3%) of the participants did not decide. Fifteen (22.4%) professionals stated lack of comprehensive information on the vaccine as the main reason for their refusal to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The rate of physicians stating that they would get vaccinated was 30 (69.8%) and the rate of midwives/nurses was 13 (30.2%) (p=0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Vaccine hesitancy and refusal against COVID-19 are very important issues among family healthcare professionals. It is extremely important to organize in-service training and to ensure that all professionals have access to knowledge on the COVID-19 vaccines.