The question was asked by a nurse in front of an auditorium full of health workers at the congress of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology: “If we recommend that our patients get vaccinated, why don’t we do it?” Health professionals do not lead by example. Less than half (43.76%) were immunized against the flu during the last campaign. This percentage is even far from the 75% set by the World Health Organization and, far from improving, it is getting worse. The “pandemic effect” gave a boost to the vaccination of professionals and the figures reached unprecedented thresholds – more than 65% in 2020 – but since then, the curve has moved towards a decline which is now lasting for three years.
The case worries health authorities. The Community of Madrid launched an awareness campaign this week – “Faced with the flu, give a helping hand” – and the annual meeting of vaccinologists, held two weeks ago in Malaga, spoke openly about problem in a presentation titled “Vaccination of healthcare workers, what can be done to ensure it is taken seriously?” “It’s like traveling in a car without a seat belt: our safety and that of our patients are in danger,” responded nurse Patricia Martín Díaz, occupational nurse specialized in the Eastern Health Management Zone of Málaga-Axarquia.
There are communities, such as the Balearic Islands, with insignificant vaccination figures among their professionals. Only 15% of them are immune. Neither Catalonia (25.36%) nor Murcia (33.23%) are doing well. The Valencian Community is the only one to achieve the objective set by the WHO. It even exceeds it with coverage of 77.15% among health workers during the last campaign, according to official data from the Ministry of Health.
“They hide when we arrive at the wards,” explained Mónica Devolx Solano, specialist in occupational medicine at the Regional University Hospital of Malaga. And face to face, the teams find all kinds of excuses when they go looking for their colleagues to inform them about the campaigns. “We have – listed Martín Díaz – hyperimmune people who never get sick. […] and those who say they must continue to operate or that they have a caretaker. Ultimately, the speakers concluded, vaccinated health personnel think more about their family environment than their consultations. “The vast majority say that because they have sick fathers, mothers or someone at home, the last thing they tell you is about the patients,” Devolx said.
Furthermore, professionals are not immune to the wave of distrust towards vaccines, maintains the specialist nurse at work. “Everything related to vaccination has been manipulated: everyone is a pope (in an ironic sense, which has a great influence on his professional activity) in vaccines and we trust what a colleague can tell us more than scientific studies.
But low compliance is not only the fault of professionals: there is little talk in faculties of the “drug that has saved the most lives in humanity” and accessibility in health centers is not always guaranteed. . “We cannot miss any opportunity and one of the reasons is lack of time. This is why vaccines must be offered without a schedule, without an appointment, without delay,” said Martín Díaz.
Personal “discontent” is also not conducive to joining the campaign, the speakers admitted. “Month-to-month contracts, instability and demotivation generate a negative feeling towards their work and influence the vaccination decision.” So how can we improve it? With small incentives such as “invite a breakfast to the service that had more vaccinated people”. The next campaign will confirm whether the membership loss continues for another year or is reversed.
Graphics by Victòria Oliveres.
