Motivation for COVID-19 Vaccination in Priority Occupational Groups: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Due to the limited availability of COVID-19 vaccines, occupational groups with priority access were identified prior to vaccination. The study aimed to analyze motives for vaccination in these occupational groups. METHODS: Members of occupational groups, who were vaccinated at the vaccination center of University Hospital Olomouc before 30 April 2021, were asked to fill in an online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 3224 completed questionnaires were obtained from 1332 healthcare workers, 1257 school employees, 363 social service workers, 210 security force members, and 62 critical infrastructure workers. The most frequent motive for vaccination was the effort to protect family members (76.2%), the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in one's profession (72.3%), followed by concerns about COVID-19 itself (49.1%) and exemptions from anti-epidemic measures (36.8%). Only for social services, the motive focused on one's profession was mentioned more often (75.2%) than the motive focused on the family (71.1%). At the level of detailed profession-oriented motives, a collegial effort of security force members to protect co-workers and not to endanger the workplace was dominant. CONCLUSIONS: The effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the professional environment is a strong motive for vaccination, and strongest among social service workers.

Motivation to COVID-19 Vaccination and Reasons for Hesitancy in Employees of a Czech Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

High vaccination coverage among healthcare workers (HCWs) is crucial for managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to determine the demand for vaccination among all employees (n = 4553) of a tertiary care hospital after several weeks of the vaccine's availability, and to analyze motives for acceptance and reasons for hesitancy through an anonymous online questionnaire. Upon the completion of data collection, the hospital's vaccination coverage was at 69.8%. A total of 3550 completed questionnaires were obtained (2657 from vaccinated, 893 from unvaccinated employees). Significant predictors of vaccine acceptance were: age (odds ratio (OR) 1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.02), sex (OR (females) 0.58, 95% CI 0.45-0.75), job type (OR (non-physician HCWs) 0.54, 95% CI 0.41-0.72; OR (non-HCWs) 0.51, 95% CI 0.37-0.71), fear of COVID-19 (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.34-1.46), history of COVID-19 (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.34-0.49) and of influenza vaccination (OR 2.74, 95% CI 2.12-3.57). The most frequent motive for acceptance was the effort to protect family members (84%), while concerns about vaccine safety and side effects (49.4%), followed by distrust in the vaccine's efficacy (41.1%) were the top reasons for hesitancy. To increase vaccination coverage among HCWs, it is necessary to raise awareness of vaccine safety and efficacy.

Demand and motivation for influenza vaccination among healthcare workers before and during the COVID-19 era: a cross-sectional survey.

Protection of healthcare workers (HCWs) against influenza is essential for patient health and a functional health system. The study aimed to analyze the demand for seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) among various groups of HCWs in a tertiary care hospital before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify their motives for this season's SIV. Before this influenza season (2020/21), the hospital management offered free SIV to all HCWs and promoted it on the internal network. Out of 4,167 HCWs, 630 HCWs expressed interest in SIV and were vaccinated in the hospital. They filled in a total of 603 self-administered pen-and-paper questionnaires. The mean age of the respondents (374 females and 229 males) was 45 ± 12 years. Physicians accounted for 48% of the vaccinated persons but for only 24% (p < .001) of all HCWs to whom SIV was offered. Only 16% of respondents vaccinated this year also received SIV before the last season (2019/20), with the proportion of physicians (19%) being statistically significantly higher than that of non-physicians (13%, p = .045) and the proportion of chronically ill HCWs (22%) being higher than that of healthy individuals (13%, p = .004). Most frequently, respondents' motivation to get vaccinated this year was self-protection (61%), that is concerns about contracting influenza together with COVID-19 or alone, followed by family protection (58%) and patient protection (53%). In conclusion, COVID-19 contributed to an increased demand for SIV among HCWs and the threat of contracting it together with influenza was the most frequent motive.

Occurrence of asbestos-related occupational diseases in the Czech Republic in the last 20 years.

OBJECTIVES: Asbestos-related diseases are still a current problem worldwide. What is their occurrence in the Czech Republic? The answer is the subject of this study, which aims to provide a general and regional overview of the situation over the last 20 years with a more detailed focus on mesothelioma, the development of which is highly associated with asbestos exposure and the issue of their recognition as an occupational disease. METHODS: In its retrospective reviews, the study is based on analyses of data from the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic and data from the Czech National Cancer Registry, which also interconnects. RESULTS: In the last 20 years, 512 new cases of occupational diseases from asbestos have been reported, namely 228 cases of pleural thickening, 133 mesotheliomas, 92 asbestoses, and 59 cases of lung cancer. In the last 5 years, mesotheliomas (n = 39) predominated among the reported diseases with a 45% proportion in the total number of 86 cases. The trend in their incidence, as the only one among asbestos-related diseases, is not declining. There was a significant difference in the overall incidence of mesothelioma in a general population and the incidence of occupational mesotheliomas. At the national level, occupational aetiology was acknowledged in only 11.3% of cases of mesothelioma on average. The highest proportion of occupational mesotheliomas and the highest incidence of all asbestos-related diseases were found in regions where the largest asbestos processing plants were located. CONCLUSION: The authors emphasize the importance of work history for the diagnostic process of asbestos-related diseases and also the need to perform follow-up examinations for their early detection.

Validity of mesothelin in occupational medicine practice.

OBJECTIVES: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is the most serious asbestos-related disease. Its increasing incidence is alarming, suggesting the need for as early diagnosis as possible. This 4.5-year prospective longitudinal study aimed at assessing the benefit of measuring serum mesothelin as a marker for diagnosing malignant mesothelioma in individuals with previous occupational exposure to asbestos, as a part of their clinical follow-up care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study comprised 309 participants (235 males, 74 females) with a mean age of 58.9 years (standard deviation (SD) = 9.8) and a mean duration of exposure to asbestos dust of 13.4 years (SD = 9.3). From 2009 to June 2013, all subjects were followed at a department of occupational medicine in Olomouc. Apart from the standard parts of medical examination (history, physical examination, simple chest radiographs and spirometry), the patients' serum mesothelin levels were determined by the Mesomark immunoenzymatic diagnostic assay. Statistical analysis of the validity of serum mesothelin level measurement was carried out with respect to the diagnosis of MM. RESULTS: Among the participants, 16 (5.2%) individuals (14 males and 2 females) were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Based on the detected mesothelin levels, their validity for prediction of malignant mesothelioma was calculated as follows: sensitivity - 0.75, specificity - 0.962, positive predictive value - 0.706, negative predictive value - 0.969, positive and negative likelihood ratios - 19.95 and 0.26, respectively, and diagnostic odds ratio - 76.8, at a 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: The high specificity was identified indicating the low false positivity as well. In the case of detecting elevated soluble mesothelin-related peptides (SMRP) levels in formerly asbestos-exposed individuals, the possibility of the presence of MM should be included into the clinical consideration. The high negative predictive value denotes a lower probability of the presence of MM in patients with normal SMRP levels but due to the limiting lower sensitivity this possibility cannot be entirely excluded.