Hesitancy to COVID-19 Vaccine Among Healthcare Workers: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy is a global concern and a significant barrier to vaccine uptake. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are more likely to contract COVID-19 and are the most trusted source of patient vaccine-related information. This scoping review summarized the rates of hesitancy against COVID-19 vaccine and booster dose among HCWs. We also explored the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance. The review method was described according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Literature search from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and EBSCOhost was conducted for studies published from January 2020 to August 2022. Themes were generated using inductive and deductive methods to identify the determinants for hesitancy and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, a total of 157 articles were included in this review. The hesitancy rate varied before the COVID-19 vaccination rollout ranging from 3.8% to 79.0%, while the hesitancy rate was 1.1%-73.3% in studies conducted after the vaccination rollout. Six themes were generated for hesitancy and seven themes for acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. The themes identified for vaccine hesitancy and acceptance were trust issues in vaccines or authority; vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and its complications; information and misinformation; personal and past vaccine experience; religious and ethical; and socio-demographic and work factors. Professional integrity was the additional theme for vaccine acceptance. Safety and effectiveness issues, trust, perceived risk of infection, and misinformation were among the common factors. It is recommended that the government develops strategies, guidelines, or more transparent information about the vaccines to improve the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccinations.