Is there an association between self-reported vaccination knowledge and the immunization behaviour of Health Sciences students.

INTRODUCTION: The role of vaccinations is widely acknowledged. However, over the last decades, an alarming reduction in immunization coverage and a rising number of reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases have been recorded. This multicentre cross-sectional study aimed at examining whether there is an association between self-reported vaccination knowledge and the immunization behaviour of Health Sciences students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed, using a validated questionnaire. A multivariate logistic regression with stepwise backward selection process with a univariate p-value <0.25 as the main criterion was used. The level of significance chosen for statistical analysis was 0.05. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 3,131 students (68.1% females). 38.9% of them are medicine and surgery students and 33.1% are nursing students. The multivariate logistic regression analysis shows that, regarding the "suboptimal level of knowledge about vaccine-preventable diseases ", the main and statistically significant independent variables associated are: older age (OR 1.56), having developed a vaccine-preventable disease in the last 5 years (OR 1.38), having been vaccinated against seasonal influenza last year (OR 0.70), having recommended the vaccination to patients or family members during the last influenza season based on clinical evaluation (OR 0.53) and according to the ministerial indications (OR 0.48), planning of recommending the influenza vaccination during the next season based on clinical evaluation (OR 0.67) and according to the ministerial indications (OR 0.69). DISCUSSION: The study highlighted the importance of academic education on vaccinations in order to build a future generation of health care workers that are aware not only of the usefulness of immunization, but particularly of the major role played by health professionals in promoting a vaccination culture among the general population.

A systematic review: characteristics, complications and treatment of spondylodiscitis.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review focuses on 5 key elements that may improve the decision-making process in spondylodiscitis: the infective agent, segmental instability, abscess development, neurological compromise and focus of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 64 studies published between May 2012 and May 2017, that reported both a description of the discitis and comparative data regarding the disease and its complications. RESULTS: The majority of cases were caused by Staphylococcus spp (40.3%) and involved the lumbosacral region (52.3%). 27.8% of cases were associated to neurological compromise, 30.4% developed an abscess, 6.6% were associated to instability, and 54.7% underwent surgery. The abscesses mostly involved the lumbosacral region (60.4%) with paravertebral localization; 32.6% of cases involved the thoracic region, showing mostly epidural localization; a small number of cases (7%) involved the cervical region, mostly with epidural localization. 95% of paravertebral abscesses were treated percutaneously, while 85.7% of epidural cases underwent "open" surgery. Spinal cord compression mainly occurred in the cervical region (55.9%), neurological deficit was observed in over half of cases (65%), and surgery was required in most of the cases (83.9%). The majority of cases of instability involved the lumbosacral region (53.3%) and underwent surgery (87%). The focus of infection was mostly lumbosacral (61%) and almost all cases (95%) were treated surgically. CONCLUSIONS: Spondylodiscitis is a complex and multifactorial disease, whose diagnosis and management are still challenging. Due to its potential morbidity, it is extremely important to investigate the 5 key elements discussed in this paper in order to provide an early diagnosis and initiate the most effective treatment.