A Survey of Healthcare Professionals' Awareness of Vaccination in Patients With Heart Failure

Respiratory infections are major triggers of heart failure (HF) decompensation, and current guidelines recommend vaccination-particularly influenza and pneumococcal vaccination-for patients with HF. We conducted a survey to assess Korean healthcare professionals' (HCPs) awareness, perception, and clinical practices regarding vaccination in HF, including attitudes to newer vaccines and perceived barriers to implementation.

A web-based survey was conducted from July to August 2025 among members of the Korean Society of Heart Failure, yielding 171 responses from 2,515 invitees. The 22-item questionnaire covered four domains related to vaccination in HF.

Awareness of the importance of vaccination in HF was very high, with over 95% of respondents rating it as "important" or "very important," and 86.6% reporting prior experience in prescribing or recommending vaccines. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines were the most consistently recommended as indicated for HF and were also the most frequently implemented in practice. Vaccination was primarily viewed as a strategy to reduce infection-related HF exacerbations, and HF specialists were most often considered the appropriate providers to recommend vaccination. In contrast, awareness and real-world recommendation of newer vaccines, including herpes zoster, coronavirus disease 2019, and respiratory syncytial virus, were substantially lower. Commonly reported barriers included limited time during outpatient visits, patients' lack of awareness of vaccination necessity, financial burden, and concerns about adverse reactions.

While Korean HCPs demonstrate high awareness of the importance of vaccination in HF, significant discordance remains between self-reported knowledge and clinical implementation, particularly for newer vaccines. Addressing constraints and enhancing education for both providers and patients are essential to improve vaccination rates in this high-risk population.