Introduction

The current context caused by the COVID-19 pandemic highlights more sharply the importance of vaccination and the National Vaccination Program, whose compliance by health professionals is essential for prevention in the workplace.

Goals

To assess the knowledge of health professionals from a Group of Health Centers in the South of Portugal about the Occupational Health Service and the recommended vaccination for health professionals in Portugal.

Methodology

Descriptive, cross-sectional study, using a quantitative methodology, carried out in a convenience sampling process. The sample consisted of 176 health professionals in the context of Primary Health Care, from different professional groups, distributed across the 18 functional units of the same Group of Health Centers, of both sexes. The data obtained were analyzed using the computer program Microsoft Excel.

Results

A total of 176 individuals participated in the study, predominantly female (78.1%), prevailing the age group between 30 and 50 years (62.5%) and with a higher percentage of the academic degree of Licentiate (58.9%). The most represented professional group was Nursing (56.2%), followed by Operational Assistants (18,9%), Doctors (17,8%) and SuperiorTechnicians of Diagnostic and Therapeutic (5,3%). The analysis of the data obtained shows a reduced influence of the Occupational Health Service in a fundamental area such as the promotion of vaccination of health professionals. Of those that responded that they had received training and/or information, only 12.2% reported that this had happened in the context of Occupational Health. The results obtained also revealed a lack of knowledge about the recommended vaccination for health professionals in Portugal and the lack of training actions and vaccination campaigns for health professionals, in addition to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analyzed data revealed levels of partial or compromised knowledge regarding the vaccination recommended for health professionals, despite the vast majority of (87%) claiming to know the recommended program.

Conclusions

The Group of Health Centers under study has a reduced number of human resources assigned to the Occupational Health Service. A lack of knowledge about the vaccination plan recommended by the General Directorate of Health for these professionals and a rate of adherence to vaccination below the recommended indicators was identified. Therefore, it is imperative to promote the Occupational Health Service and invest in this resource as a vector for promoting literacy, namely in relation to vaccination recommended for these professionals in Portugal.

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