Are healthcare workers' intentions to vaccinate related to their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Summit of Independent European Vaccination Experts (SIEVE) recommended in 2007 that efforts be made to improve healthcare workers' knowledge and beliefs about vaccines, and their attitudes towards them, to increase vaccination coverage. The aim of the study was to compile and analyze the areas of disagreement in the existing evidence about the relationship between healthcare workers' knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about vaccines and their intentions to vaccinate the populations they serve. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in four electronic databases for studies published in any of seven different languages between February 1998 and June 2009. We included studies conducted in developed countries that used statistical methods to relate or associate the variables included in our research question. Two independent reviewers verified that the studies met the inclusion criteria, assessed the quality of the studies and extracted their relevant characteristics. The data were descriptively analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 2354 references identified in the initial search, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. The diversity in the study designs and in the methods used to measure the variables made it impossible to integrate the results, and each study had to be assessed individually. All the studies found an association in the direction postulated by the SIEVE experts: among healthcare workers, higher awareness, beliefs that are more aligned with scientific evidence and more favorable attitudes toward vaccination were associated with greater intentions to vaccinate. All the studies included were cross-sectional; thus, no causal relationship between the variables was established. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that interventions aimed at improving healthcare workers' knowledge, beliefs and attitudes about vaccines should be encouraged, and their impact on vaccination coverage should be assessed.

[Validation of a questionnaire to estimate satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment: CESTA questionnaire]. / Validación del cuestionario de satisfacción con el tratamiento antirretroviral: cuestionario CESTA.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of patient satisfaction with antiretroviral therapy is generating increasing interest in clinical practice, since the outcome is directly related with compliance with therapy and its effectiveness. Currently, there is no validated patient satisfaction questionnaire to evaluate this factor as related to control of the disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An "ad hoc" questionnaire--Cuestionario Español de Satisfacción con el Tratamiento Antiretroviral (CESTA), Spanish Antiretroviral Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire--was developed to evaluate satisfaction in patients switching to a simplified regimen. In a second phase, the questionnaire was validated in an observational study including 321 patients divided into two cohorts (patients switching to a simplified regimen and patients maintaining the same regimen). RESULTS: A total of 99% and 93% patients, respectively, completed the questionnaire at baseline and at the end-of-study visit. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency and test-retest reliability were 0.82 and 0.69, respectively. Patients switching to a simplified regimen showed a statistically significant higher overall satisfaction score at the third-month visit than at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: The CESTA questionnaire is a valid instrument for use in clinical practice and provides valuable information on patient satisfaction with antiretroviral therapy.

Validación del cuestionario de satisfacción con el tratamiento antirretroviral: cuestionario CESTA / Validation of a questionnaire to estimate satisfaction with antiretroviral treatment: CESTA questionnaire

Antecedentes. La evaluación de la satisfacción con el tratamiento es una medida que centrada en el paciente está adquiriendo mayor importancia en la práctica clínica ya que podría incidir en el cumplimiento de los regímenes terapéuticos y por tanto en la efectividad del mismo. En la actualidad no existe ningún cuestionario validado de satisfacción con el tratamiento antirretroviral que permita valorar la importancia del control de la enfermedad. Pacientes y métodos. Se elaboró un cuestionario ad hoc (Cuestionario Español de Satisfacción con el Tratamiento Antirretroviral; CESTA) para evaluar la satisfacción de los pacientes que cambiaban a un régimen terapéutico de simplificación. Posteriormente se ha validado el cuestionario mediante un estudio observacional con 312 pacientes divididos en dos cohortes: pacientes que simplificaban su régimen terapéutico y pacientes estables que no variaban su pauta de tratamiento. Resultados. El cuestionario fue completado por más del 99% de los pacientes en la visita basal y por el 93% en la final. En los parámetros de consistencia interna se obtuvo un coeficiente a de Cronbach de 0,82 y una fiabilidad test-retest de 0,69. Los pacientes del grupo de simplificación obtuvieron puntuaciones significativamente más altas a los 3 meses de seguimiento respecto a los valores basales. Conclusiones. El cuestionario CESTA es un instrumento válido para su aplicación en el contexto de la práctica clínica proporcionando información sobre la importancia que cada paciente asigna a cada uno de los aspectos o cuestiones relacionadas con la satisfacción del tratamiento antirretroviral (AU)

Background. Assessment of patient satisfaction with antiretroviral therapy is generating increasing interest in clinical practice, since the outcome is directly related with compliance with therapy and its effectiveness. Currently, there is no validated patient satisfaction questionnaire to evaluate this factor as related to control of the disease Patients and methods. An "ad hoc" questionnaire --Cuestionario Español de Satisfacción con el Tratamiento Antiretroviral (CESTA), Spanish Antiretroviral Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire-- was developed to evaluate satisfaction in patients switching to a simplified regimen. In a second phase, the questionnaire was validated in an observational study including 321 patients divided into two cohorts (patients switching to a simplified regimen and patients maintaining the same regimen). Results. A total of 99% and 93% patients, respectively, completed the questionnaire at baseline and at the end-of-study visit. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency and test-retest reliability were 0.82 and 0.69, respectively. Patients switching to a simplified regimen showed a statistically significant higher overall satisfaction score at the third-month visit than at baseline. Conclusions. The CESTA questionnaire is a valid instrument for use in clinical practice and provides valuable information on patient satisfaction with antiretroviral therapy (AU)