AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightIt is recommended that all pregnant women receive the influenza vaccine because the mortality of the disease is high during pregnancy.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Objective: Influenza is a systemic infectious disease. It is recommended that all pregnant women receive the influenza vaccine because the mortality of the disease is high during pregnancy. However, the rates of influenza vaccination in pregnant women are low. This study aims to estimate the rate at which Turkish gynecologists and obstetricians (GOs) recommend the influenza vaccine to their pregnant patients.. Materials and Methods: This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The sample size was calculated to be 364 based on 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. The data were collected through a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions, which was distributed through social media. The final study group included in the research consisted of 384 GOs.Results:The mean age of the GOs that participated in the study was 39.7 years (SD = 10.2). 43.5% of the GOs reported that they recommended the influenza vaccine to pregnant women who had consulted with them, while 62.8% reported that at least 50% of the pregnant women they had recommended the vaccine rejected it. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, three factors increased the rate of GOs’ not to recommend influenza vaccination: the GOs’ age, not receiving influenza vaccination themselves, and not knowing the social insurance reimbursement for the vaccine. Conclusion: Vaccination of pregnant women is necessary because of the increased mortality risk of influenza during pregnancy. Even though GOs are not in charge of vaccinating their patients during their routine pregnancy follow-up, they can contribute to vaccination rates by recommending the vaccine. Physicians’ application of scientific knowledge and transferring it to their patients can contribute to increased adult immunization rates.