Vaccination coverage of nursing staff against hepatitis B and information source about hepatitis prevention: A study in a regional teaching hospital

The aim of this epidemiological study was to define the prevalence of immunization against Hepatitis B (HB) and to investigate the factors that may influence the vaccination coverage of the nursing staff (NS) in a regional teaching hospital. In this study the prevalence of HbsAg, positivity of antibodies against HB in blood samples as well as the prevalence of vaccination of the NS, have been recorded. All participants filled out a specific questionnaire. Ninety six per cent of the sample (n=144) reported having being tested for HBsAg without prior vaccination and 2.8% (n=4) of these were found HbsAg positive, 15.7% (n=21) had antibodies against HB, 3.3% (n=5) had already been infected with HB, and 77.3% (n=116) were vaccinated. The main factor that contributed to the performance of the vaccine was prevention (98.3%, n=114/116). Regarding the reason why they hadn't been vaccinated, 22.2% (n=4) stated they were afraid of the adverse effects, 11.1% (n=2) reported health reasons, 61.1% (n=11) already had antibodies and 5.6% (n=1) were infected with HB. The majority of participants (58.3%, n=74) reported they were informed about HB during first degree training, 15.7% (n=12) by the Committee of Nosocomial Infections, 7.1% (n=9) by leaflets administered by the Ministry of Health, 13.4% (n=17) by friends or relatives and (4.7% (n=6) through the mass media. From the findings of the present study it is obvious that there is a need to educate health care workers to take all the precautions against hepatitis B infection during any invasive procedures. It is also considered essential to provide counseling, adequate support and retraining services for the prevention of the disease.