Inadequate knowledge of pneumococcal vaccine of nursing home healthcare workers affects the pneumococcal vaccination uptake of older adults in nursing homes

摘要

To the Editor: Pneumococcal pneumonia causes significant mortality in older adults in nursing homes; vaccination with the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV) has been shown to reduce mortality. In Hong Kong, PPV has been provided on-site and free of charge to older adults in nursing homes, but the vaccination rate is less than 40%. Promotion of vaccination by nursing home healthcare workers (NHHCWs) is a major facilitator of vaccination in older adults. NHHCWs are in day-to-day contact with older adults in nursing homes. The close relationship and rapport between them may make the health advice of NHHCWs more convincing. There has been no study regarding the prevalence of promotion by NHHCWs. The Health Belief Model (HBM) specifies that cognitive factors such as perceived benefits, barriers, and severity are determinants of health-related behaviors. A cross-sectional study was therefore performed using a questionnaire based on HBM to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with promotion of PPV by NHHCWs.