Attitudes of healthcare workers toward the COVID-19 vaccine and related factors: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim and Objectives: This systematic review aims to examine healthcare professionals' attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine and related factors. Background: Healthcare workers have priority among risky groups accepted as candidates for early vaccination. Therefore, it is important to consider health professionals' attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination to better address barriers to widespread vaccination. Materials and Methods: Six databases were searched for articles published between January 01, 2020, and February 31, 2022, and 1161 studies were reached. As a result of the evaluations, 10 studies were included in the systematic review. Nine studies are cross-sectional, and one is a descriptive study. A 9-item Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross Sectional Studies from the Joanna Briggs Institute MAStARI Critical Assessment Tools (JBI-MAStARI) was used for quality assessment. High-quality studies with an average or higher methodological quality score were included in the systematic review. The PRISMA guideline was followed while selecting studies. Results: Positive attitudes of healthcare professionals toward the COVID-19 vaccine ranged from 10% to 93.7%, and negative attitudes varied between 6.3% and 41.0%. Factors such as the male gender, being a physician, advanced age, previous influenza vaccination history, and presence of chronic disease were found to be associated with vaccine acceptance. Factors such as doubt about the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine, safety concerns, and fear of unknown side effects of the vaccine were associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Conclusion: There is a need for confidence-building interventions and tailored communication strategies, including personalized training to change the ambiguous attitudes of healthcare professionals, increase vaccine uptake, and cope with the multifaceted impact of infection. PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42021290482.