NURSES' AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS INFLUENZA VACCINATION: A STUDY IN GEORGIA

This study aimed to investigate the attitudes and awareness of nurses in Georgia towards influenza vaccination, especially in light of the mandatory vaccination policy introduced for medical personnel. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 455 Level 5 nurses, chosen from a population of 19000 registered nurses in Georgia. Participants completed a 16-question mixed-format questionnaire assessing demographic information, knowledge about mandatory influenza vaccines, and attitudes towards vaccination. Data analysis employed quantitative methods using SPSS, focusing on statistical measures such as mean, relative frequencies, standard deviation, and chi-square tests. The study found that 56% of nurses had received training on flu vaccination, but a significant portion (36.6%) had not, leading to varied levels of self-assessed knowledge. Over 61% of nurses had been vaccinated for the current season. Reasons for not receiving the flu shot included personal health concerns (14.7%), time constraints (14.7%), and fear of adverse effects (16.5%). Despite these concerns, 83.8% believed in the vaccine's effectiveness. Regarding mandatory vaccination, 50% supported voluntary vaccination, while 24.6% supported mandatory policies. The study also noted regional differences in vaccine uptake and found that a significant proportion of those opposed to mandatory vaccination had nonetheless been vaccinated. The research underscores a need for improved educational initiatives to address the misconceptions about vaccine risks among nurses. Despite concerns over adverse events, the actual risk associated with influenza vaccination is low. The study advocates for enhanced communication strategies to bridge the gap between perceived and actual risks and to increase influenza vaccination uptake among nurses.