[Does patient safety justify mandatory vaccinations?]

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Infectious disease epidemiology
• Medical education

Context:

• Healthcare workers (HCWs), including medical and dental students, face significant occupational exposure to transmissible infectious diseases.
• Despite vaccination being a key preventive measure, immunization rates among HCWs often remain suboptimal.
• Concerns exist regarding potential resistance to mandatory vaccination policies within the healthcare sector.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the attitudes of German medical and dental students towards mandatory immunization policies.
• To assess the acceptance level of mandatory vaccinations among future healthcare professionals.

Summary:

• A large-scale anonymous questionnaire study was conducted among medical and dental students at the University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
• The study achieved a high response rate of 56.9% (1823 out of 3200 students).
• Nearly 88.5% of responding students indicated their acceptance of mandatory vaccinations for HCWs.

Impact:

• The findings challenge the assumption of widespread resistance to mandatory vaccination requirements for HCWs.
• The study suggests that mandatory vaccination policies, particularly for those caring for immunocompromised patients, may garner significant support.
• This research provides valuable insights for public health strategies aimed at increasing vaccination coverage in healthcare settings.