Objective
Vaccines including pneumococcal and
influenza vaccines are recommended in patients with immunosuppressive treatment. However,
vaccine coverage remains extremely low. Our study was to investigate vaccination uptake, knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards certain vaccinations among these patients, and to identify the factors influencing willingness to be vaccinated. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among patients with
rheumatic diseases in a tertiary hospital in China. Baseline assessments were completed by using questionnaires including vaccination uptake and KAP towards certain
infections and vaccinations. Results 235 patients completed the study. Mean age was 39.69 years old, while 66.4% were females. Only 6.4% of the participants once had taken
vaccine in recent five years. One patient had
influenza vaccination, and none ever took
pneumococcal vaccine. 3.8% had doctor's recommendation on taking
influenza, pneumococcal or
herpes zoster vaccine. Major reasons given for not being vaccinated included "unnecessary" (8.9%) and "troublesome to take
vaccines" (8.5%). Patients would take
influenza or
pneumococcal vaccines if they had heard of them before, had knowledge of
infection, and had belief in
vaccine's safety and reliability (p < 0.05). Conclusion
Vaccine coverage among people with
rheumatic diseases was low in China. Methods to improve KAP toward
infections and vaccinations should be taken.