ABSTRACT
Background: Despite several efforts to limit the viral transmission, the COVID-19 vaccine has been the only "the ray of hope" to end the pandemic. However, vaccine hesitancy could reduce coverage and hinder herd immunity. People's intention to get vaccinated can be shaped by several factors, including risk perception which, in turn, is influenced by effect. The need to acquaint oneself to the beliefs, concerns, and circumstances of one's own population in the community becomes important for successful implementation of the program. Therefore, the present study was conducted to gain insights into perceptions of vaccination. Objectives: The objective is to understand the felicitating factors and hindering factors for acceptance of vaccines by the population among people aged 50 years in urban field practice area of the Department of Community Medicine in a Tertiary care teaching hospital, Hyderabad. Subjects and Methods: Data were extracted from audio recording of five focus group discussions that were conducted in the urban field practice care of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Hyderabad through open-ended questions. Categories, subcategories, and themes were created by deductive approach. Results: The motivating factors for vaccine acceptance were found to be fear of getting disease, wanting to return normalcy, and trust in treating doctors, whereas, barriers were fear of death due to vaccine, opacity in vaccine details, anxiety, and misinterpretation of adverse events. Conclusion: Having a clear understanding about the belief system of the target population could help in designing the guidelines for vaccination program to escalate the immunization and increase the acceptance.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Vaccines , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines , Community Medicine , Focus Groups , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Hospitals, Teaching , Humans , India , Patient Acceptance of Health Care , Phobic Disorders , Tertiary Healthcare , VaccinationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Simulation-based training for healthcare providers was established as an efficacious training tool to sharpen the performance skills of nontechnical team as necessary for the prevention of errors and adverse events in the pandemic. To tackle this third wave, our institute started preparations with a faculty development course of simulation-based learning to evaluate participants' knowledge and skills and their attitudes and feedback. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As part of the simulation workshop, a module was developed to train the staff on recognizing and responding to acute coronavirus disease 2019 affecting adults and children. Case-based scenarios were provided in the application. Pretest and posttest questionnaires were administered to all trainees. The questionnaires included questions on knowledge, skills confidence and attitude marked on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were entered and analyzed using the Microsoft Excel 2018. Qualitative variables were expressed as percentages, whereas mean and standard deviations were computed for quantitative variables. Paired t-test was used to test the difference between pre and post test scores;P < 0.05 was taken as significant value. RESULTS: A total of 296 participants were included in the study. A statistically significant increase in knowledge and skills confidence scores was found from pre-test to post-test. The most significant improvement was found in the assessment of pediatric hemodynamic status and the management of fluid and electrolytes. The most interesting benefit to the participants was the acquisition of knowledge about the proper use of technology after the faculty development course. CONCLUSIONS: Such workshops play a crucial role in training healthcare workers, especially as preparation for the pandemic. Most participants suggested that there should be such workshops at regular intervals to enhance their skills confidence in handling emergency situations in the clinical settings.