COVID-19 vaccination intention among nursing, medical, and dental students: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis

Abstract

The introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine amidst the pandemic has heralded a paradigm shift. Healthcare students in nursing, medicine, and dentistry must have positive attitudes owing to their future role in vaccine recommendations to the public and patients. This meta-regression analysis assessed the differences in COVID-19 vaccination intention (VI) of nursing, medical, and dental students. Medline/PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Korean MBASE were searched for eligible studies. Quality was assessed by the Joanna Briggs Institute’s quality appraisal. Forty-one studies were included in the final analysis, and the estimation of pooled prevalence (68%) and relevant factors were assessed. Dental students were found to have the lowest VI (57%), which significantly (p =.018) differed from that of nursing students (64%). Countries in South-East Asia and those with high income levels were found to have high VI. Therefore, global vaccine programs for healthcare students should be prepared considering their geographical and economic status.