Vaccination barriers and drivers in Romania: a focused ethnographic study.
Eur J Public Health
; 33(2): 222-227, 2023 04 01.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36416573
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In 2016-18, a large measles outbreak occurred in Romania identified by pockets of sub-optimally vaccinated population groups in the country. The aim of the current study was to gain insight into barriers and drivers from the experience of measles vaccination from the perspectives of caregivers and their providers.METHODS:
Data were collected by non-participant observation of vaccination consultations and individual interviews with health workers and caregivers in eight Romanian clinics with high or low measles vaccination uptake. Romanian stakeholders were involved in all steps of the study. The findings of this study were discussed during a workshop with key stakeholders.RESULTS:
Over 400 h of observation and 161 interviews were conducted. A clear difference was found between clinics with high and low measles vaccination uptake which indicates that being aware of and following recommended practices for both vaccination service delivery and conveying vaccine recommendations to caregivers may have an impact on vaccine uptake. Barriers identified were related to shortcomings in following recommended practices for vaccination consultations by health workers (e.g. correctly assessing contraindications or providing enough information to allow an informed decision). These observations were largely confirmed in interviews with caregivers and revealed significant knowledge gaps.CONCLUSIONS:
The identification of key barriers provided an opportunity to design specific interventions to improve vaccination service delivery (e.g. mobile vaccination clinics, use of an electronic vaccination registry system for scheduling of appointments) and build capacity among health workers (e.g. guidance and supporting materials and training programmes).
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Vaccines
/
Measles
Type of study:
Guideline
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Qualitative_research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Eur J Public Health
Journal subject:
EPIDEMIOLOGIA
/
SAUDE PUBLICA
Year:
2023
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canada