A cross-sectional survey study on influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates and the factors affecting vaccination rates in hemodialysis patients in Kocaeli Province of Turkey.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the rates of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations and the factors affecting vaccination rates in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: The study included 360 hemodialysis patients. Patients' data were collected via a questionnaire form applied during a face-to-face interview.

Results: Of the patients, 51.4% vaccinated at least once with influenza vaccine and 14.4% vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccine. While 31.4% of the patients had annual vaccination regularly for influenza, 20% were vaccinated irregularly. Of the patients with missing vaccination, 76.2% reported the reason for not being vaccinated as lack of knowledge about the relevant vaccine. At initial evaluation in the beginning of the study, the percentage of patients vaccinated with both influenza and pneumococcal vaccines was 10.8%. After informing the patients in the face-to-face interview, 89.7% of them reported that they planned to have both vaccines (p < 0.001). The rate of vaccine refusal, which was 17.8% at the initial evaluation, reduced to 10.3% at the end of the interview (p < 0.001). The most common source of information about influenza and pneumococcal vaccines (44%-43.3%, respectively) was dialysis nurses. Majority of the patients (87%) were vaccinated in the hemodialysis units.

Conclusion: The rates of pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations in dialysis patients were observed to be below the targeted rates and the main reason for such low rates was lack of information/recommend. All health care professionals, providing the patients with information about vaccinations, using communication tools such as media, phone, mails that facilitate to reach large populations more easily may enhance vaccination rates.