COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy among health care workers, communication, and policy-making

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy in health care workers (HCWs) contributes to personal and patient risk in contracting COVID-19. Reasons behind hesitancy and how best to improve vaccination rates in HCWs are not clear. Methods: We adapted a survey using the Health Belief Model framework to evaluate HCW vaccine hesitancy and reasons for choosing for or against COVID-19 vaccination. The survey was sent to 3 large academic medical centers in the Chicagoland area between March and May 2021. Results: We received 1974 completed responses with 85% of HCWs receiving or anticipating receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Multivariable logistic regression found HCWs were less likely to receive COVID-19 vaccination if they were Black (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.15-0.80), Republican (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.31-0.91), or allergic to any vaccine component (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.10-0.70) and more likely to receive if they believed people close to them thought it was important for them to receive the vaccine (OR 5.2, 95% CI 3-8). Conclusions: A sizable number of HCWs remain vaccine hesitant 1 year into the COVID-19 pandemic. As HCWs are positively influenced by colleagues who believe in COVID-19 vaccination, development of improved communication across HCW departments and roles may improve vaccination rates. (c) 2021 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The survey revealed that most healthcare workers are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but a significant number remain hesitant. Factors such as race, political affiliation, and allergies were found to affect healthcare workers' decision on vaccination. Efforts to improve communication and support from colleagues may help increase vaccination rates among healthcare workers.