Awareness of Immunisation Health Care Providers on Adverse Events Following Immunisation: A Multicentre Study

  • Aneena Suresh Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India.
  • Ashna M Pharm D Intern, Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India.
  • Karishma Reji Pharm D Intern, Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India.
  • Joel D Pharm D Intern, Department of Pharmacy Practice, JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Ooty, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India.
Keywords: Awareness, Vaccine, Immunisation Healthcare Providers, Adverse Event following Immunisation, AEFI

Abstract

Introduction: Adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) are often under-reported in India due to limited awareness among immunisation health care providers negatively affecting the immunisation programme of the country. This study assesses the knowledge, attitude and reporting practices (KAP) of AEFI among immunisation healthcare providers (IHPs) of private hospitals and clinics in South India.
Methods: Using a semi-structured questionnaire, 58 IHPs were interviewed. The mean age was found to be 14.5 ± 7.2 years. Few IHPs had good knowledge (34.5%) while 91.4% had a good attitude, but it didn’t influence their good reporting practices (25.9%). The overall KAP score was the highest for physicians (50%), followed by pharmacists (43.8%) and nurses (37.8%).
Results: Barriers to effective reporting were lack of knowledge about AEFI surveillance, filling an AEFI reporting form, time constraints and unfamiliarity with electronic reporting.
Conclusion: KAP of immunisation health care providers isn’t satisfactory. In recent years, the rate of serious AEFIs has decreased to a greater extent. This also decreased the IHPs’ awareness of AEFI reporting as they don’t need to frequently report. Improving the perception of AEFI and active participation in reporting by IHPs can strengthen the nation’s AEFI surveillance system.

How to cite this article:
Suresh A, Ashna M, Reji K, Joel D. Awareness of Immunisation Health Care Providers on Adverse Events following Immunisation: A Multicentre Study. J Commun Dis. 2022;54(1):1-9.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202241

References

World Health Organization [Internet]. Adverse events following immunization (AEFI); 2021 [cited 2021 Jan 17]. Available from: https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/initiative/detection/AEFI/en/User

Ipc.gov.in [Internet]. PvPI Performance Report - Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission; [cited 2021 Feb 18]. Available from: https://www.ipc.gov.in/mandates/pvpi/pvpi-updates/8-category-en/646-annual-performancereport.html

World Health Organization [Internet]. National AEFI surveillance systems - WHO Vaccine Safety Basics; 2021 [cited 2021 Feb 20]. Available from: https://vaccinesafety-training.org/national-aefi-surveillance-systems.html

Meher BR. Vaccine pharmacovigilance in India: current context and future perspective. Ind J Pharma. 2019 Jul-Aug;51(4):243-7. [Google Scholar]

Mehmeti I, Nelaj E, Simaku A, Tomini E, Bino S. Knowledge, practice and approaches of health professionals to adverse events following immunization and their reporting in Albania. Heliyon. 2021;3(6):5. [Google Scholar]

Gupta N, Rathod K, Garg L. Assessment of knowledge of multipurpose health workers regarding adverse events following immunization in a rural block of Haryana, India. Int J Contem Ped. 2019;7(1):127. [Google Scholar]

Jain KK, Christian DS, Chandwani H, Tolani JN. Knowledge, attitude and practices of adult immunization among resident doctors in Ahmedabad city, Gujarat. J Med Sci. 2018;7(2):84-9. [Google Scholar]

Sani UM, Oche MO, Raji MO, Ango UM, Jiya NM. Knowledge, attitude and reporting practices on adverse events following immunization among routine immunization service providers in health facilities of Sokoto State, Nigeria. Int J Trop Dis Health. 2020;40(2):1-14. [Google Scholar]

Masika CW, Atieli H, Were T. Knowledge, perceptions, and practice of nurses on surveillance of adverse events following childhood immunization in Nairobi, Kenya. Biomed Res Int. 2016;2016:3745298. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Ogunyemi R, Odusanya O. A survey of knowledge and reporting practices of primary healthcare workers on adverse experiences following immunisation in alimosho local government area, Lagos. Niger Postgrad Med J. 2016 Apr-Jun;23(2):79-85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Parrella A, Braunack-Mayer A, Gold M, Marshall H, Baghurst P. Healthcare providers’ knowledge, experience and challenges of reporting adverse events following immunisation: a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2013 Aug;13:313. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Yamoah P, Bangalee V, Oosthuizen F. Knowledge and perceptions of adverse events following immunization among healthcare professionals in Africa: a case study from Ghana. Vaccines (Basel). 2019 Mar;7(1):28. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Sebastian J, Gurumurthy P, Ravi MD, Ramesh M. Active surveillance of adverse events following immunization (AEFI): a prospective 3-year vaccine safety study. Ther Adv Vaccines Immunother. 2019 Nov 21;7:2515135519889000. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India [Internet]. Adverse events following immunization- surveillance and response operational guidelines 2015; 2015 [cited 2015 Feb 26]. Available from: http://www.nhm.gov.in/New_Updates_2018/NHM_Components/Immunization/Guildelines_for_immunization/AEFI_Surveillance_and_Response_Operational_Guidelines_2015.pdf

Gahunia J, Bigham M, Konrad S, Snow ME. Adverse events following immunization: evaluating an enhanced nursing role for PHNs. Can Nurse. 2013 Feb;109(2):16-20. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India [Internet]. AEFI Reports; 2021 [cited 2021 Nov 7]. Available from: https://main.mohfw.gov.in/Organisation/Departments-of-Health-and-Family-Welfare/immunization/aefi-reports

Masuka JT, Khoza S. Adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) reports from the Zimbabwe expanded programme on immunisation (ZEPI): an analysis of spontaneous reports in Vigibase® from 1997 to 2017. BMC Public Health. 2019 Aug 27;19(1):1166. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Chitkara AJ, Thacker N, Vashishtha VM, Bansal CP, Gupta SG. Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) surveillance in India: position paper of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 2013. Indian Ped. 2013 Aug;50:739-41. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Danova J, Kocourkova A, Celko AM. Active surveillance study of adverse events following immunisation of children in the Czech Republic. BMC Public Health. 2017 Feb;17(1):167. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Deoja G, Shanmuganathan P, Kumarappan M. Safety surveillance and causality assessment of adverse event following immunization in children - A vaccine vigilance study. Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol. 2018;8(8). [Google Scholar]

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India [Internet]. National Quality Assurance Standards for AEFI Surveillance Program; 2016 [cited 2021 Jan 28]. Available from: https://main.mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/National%20Quality%20Assurance%20Standard%20AEFI%20on%2022-11-16%20B.pdf

Aherkar RY, Deshpande PK, Ghongane BB. Study of the pattern of adverse events following immunization of children in a tertiary care hospital. Int J Bas Clin Pharmac. 2016;5(3).

Shah S, Malde T, Shah M, Kalyani P, Vyas B. Study of severe adverse events following immunisation in children of Jamnagar district with follow-up at tertiary care hospital. Ind J Neo Med Res. 2021 Jan;9(1):36-9. [Google Scholar]

Bordoloi P, Banerjee B. Study on AEFI (adverse event following immunization) in the department of paediatrics, Gauhati Medical College & Hospital, Guwahati (Assam). Int J Curr Res. 2016 Sep;8(9):38075-8. [Google Scholar]

Mohammed LA, Aliyu AA, Maiha BB, Isa A. Knowledge, perception and reporting attitude of adverse effects following immunization among primary healthcare workers in sabon gari local government area Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Niger J Basic Clin Sci. 2018 Mar;15:1:81-6. [Google Scholar]

Published
2022-03-31