Nurses' attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines: A qualitative study (PROACTIVE-study).

Area of Science:

• Healthcare worker attitudes
• Vaccine hesitancy
• Public health

Background:

• Healthcare workers' perspectives on vaccines are crucial for public health initiatives.
• Understanding motivations behind vaccine acceptance, delay, or refusal is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore healthcare workers' attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines.
• To identify factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among nurses.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive design utilizing five focus groups with 30 nurses in Northern Italy.
• Thematic analysis was employed to interpret the focus group transcripts.

Main Results:

• Three primary themes emerged: favorable, unsure, and contrary to COVID-19 vaccines.
• Favorable attitudes stemmed from trust in science and a sense of professional duty.
• Hesitancy was linked to concerns about vaccine composition, safety, efficacy, and perceived coercion.

Conclusions:

• Identifying reasons for vaccine hesitancy is vital for developing targeted vaccination campaigns.
• Effective communication and strategies are crucial to address concerns and improve vaccination coverage.