Attitudes of Physicians and Nurses in Oman Toward Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination

To investigate the relationship between attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines and disapproval of the policy of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination among unvaccinated physicians and nurses in Oman.

The subjects were (N = 346) unvaccinated physicians and nurses in Oman. Their demographic data and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccines and mandatory vaccination policy were collected through an anonymous web-based survey and statistically analyzed.

The participants' negative attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines were positively related (r = 0.68, p < 0.001) to the extent of their non-support for COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy. Analysis of variance test showed that after controlling for age, male healthcare providers were more likely to endorse mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. There was no difference between physicians and nurses in support of mandatory vaccination, after controlling for age.

Regardless of job type, male, and older physicians, and nurses in Oman were more supportive of mandatory COVID-19 vaccination than their younger and female counterparts. This research provides insights from an Arabian Gulf country about the attitudes of its unvaccinated healthcare providers toward compulsory COVID-19 vaccination.