Investigation of awareness, vaccination rates and affecting factors of patients with diabetes mellitus who applied to family medicine specialists about COVİD-19, influenza and pneumococcal vaccine

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that causes many complications and its frequency is increasing in our country and all over the world. Some infections can be more serious, especially due to their effects on the immune system. Vaccination is the most important prevention method in patients with diabetes mellitus to reduce the risk of infection and to reduce hospitalization, mortality, morbidity and health expenditures that may develop due to susceptibility to infections. It is aimed to determine the awareness of diabetic patients about COVID-19, Influenza, Pneumococcal vaccines, the rates of vaccination with these vaccines and the parameters affecting these situations, to reach diabetes patients who are undecided or who do not know about the vaccines they should have, as primary care physicians, and to inform diabetes patients about vaccines. The study is a cross-sectional study. 525 patients who applied to family health centers with family medicine specialists in Denizli city center between October 2021 and February 2022 were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of 28 questions was applied to the participants by scanning the literature, which measures their sociodemographic characteristics as well as diabetes and additional disease information, their awareness of vaccination, their vaccination status and the variables that may affect them. SPSS 21.0 program was used for statistical analysis and statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Vaccination rates of diabetes patients in the study were found to be 93.7%, 48% and 28% for COVID-19, Influenza and Pneumococcal vaccines, respectively. For all three vaccines, the most common reason for vaccinating was the desire of diabetic patients to protect themselves. Not being informed about the necessity of getting vaccinated was cited as the most common reason for not being vaccinated by the participants. Factors that increase vaccination rates with the COVID-19 vaccine; It was determined as being married, housewife or retired. Factors that increase the rate of vaccination with influenza vaccine; under the age of 65, high school or higher education level, being a housewife or being retired, having a diagnosis of diabetes for more than 10 years, having an additional chronic disease (especially hypertension), diabetes-related complications (excluding nephropathy)) was observed. Factors that increase the rate of vaccination with pneumococcus; under 65 years of age, high school and higher education level, being a housewife or being retired, presence of diabetes mellitus for more than 10 years, presence of diabetes-related complications (excluding nephropathy), hypertension and chronic lung disease as an additional chronic disease. found to have. The rates of those who thought about getting vaccinated after the information about the vaccines were found to be COVID-19 66.3%, Influenza 76.8%, and Pneumococcal 73.3%, respectively. Vaccination status of patients with diabetes should be questioned during their application to family health centers or during their follow-up, and the problems that may develop if they are not vaccinated should be explained and the importance of vaccines should be emphasized. Studies should be carried out in primary care and multicenter to determine the recommended vaccination rates of patients with diabetes mellitus. Family physicians, who have a mission of preventive medicine, should take responsibility to increase the vaccination rates of the patients, and the factors affecting these should be determined in order to increase the awareness of the patients and the vaccination rates. Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Adult Immunization, Vaccination, Influenza Vaccine, Pneumococcal Vaccine, Awareness of Vaccination, Family Medicine