Knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of general practitioners and general practice nurses regarding influenza vaccination for young children
Haley Ruiz A , Elizabeth Halcomb
B , Holly Seale C , Alyssa Horgan D and Joel Rhee E F
A Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) Public Health Unit, King Street, Warrawong, NSW 2502, Australia.
B School of Nursing, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
C School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
D Graduate Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
E General Practice Academic Unit, Illawarra Southern Practice Research Network (ISPRN), School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: jrhee@uow.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 27(4) 276-283 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY20175
Submitted: 23 July 2020 Accepted: 9 December 2020 Published: 3 March 2021
Abstract
Annual vaccination is effective in reducing the harms associated with seasonal influenza. However, the uptake of influenza vaccine has historically been low in children. This paper reports a descriptive survey that sought to explore the beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of general practitioners (GPs) and general practice nurses (GPNs) towards influenza vaccination in young children. Both GPs and GPNs working in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) in NSW, Australia, were invited via email, fax and social media to participate in the study. A total of 121 participants completed the survey. Most participants had a high level of support and knowledge of influenza immunisation in young children. Barriers to influenza immunisation in young children included perceived hesitancy in parents and competing clinical demands. The participants strongly supported funding of the vaccine, with 90.9% feeling that parents would be less likely to vaccinate their children if the vaccine were no longer free. Both GPs and GPNs differed in the use of influenza vaccination resources. The participants had a positive attitude to influenza immunisation in young children and strongly supported continued funding of the vaccine. Dedicated young children’s influenza vaccination clinics run by general practices or in the community could reduce the impact of competing clinical demands.
Keywords: children, general practice nurses, general practitioners, immunisation, influenza, vaccine.
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