Grabowski, Jakub

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and reporting rate of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) among healthcare professionals (HCPs) and students of health-related disciplines after COVID-19 vaccination. It was conducted at the beginning of the vaccination campaign in Poland (February 2021), when vaccines were only available to limited groups of recipients, mainly those related to healthcare. Questionnaires were distributed among HCPs in the Pomeranian voivodeship (N = 1063) and students at the Medical University of Gdańsk (N = 1506). The primary objective was to compare respondents’ self-reported AEFI notifications with official reports published by the National Sanitary Inspectorate. A total of 240 participants declared having reported at least one AEFI, whereas official reports from the same period indicated that only 194 individuals had reported AEFIs in the entire voivodeship. This translates into significant differences in notification rates (14.9% and 0.09%, respectively). A detailed breakdown into local and systemic AEFIs also revealed significant discrepancies with official reports (850 vs. 329 and 1137 vs. 46, respectively). The most common reasons for not reporting were managing the symptoms on one’s own and perceiving the symptoms as not severe enough to report. Underreporting of AEFIs is an issue that requires attention from both the scientific community and public health authorities, as it may hinder reliable vaccine safety assessment and contribute to increased vaccine hesitancy.

Purpose and methods: We surveyed a large sample of health-related sciences undergraduate students at the Medical University of Gdańsk (MUG), Poland in a pilot study to assess self-reported somatic/mental health-related issues, measure the level of burnout using Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), the presence of depressive symptoms with Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) and assess the problematic alcohol intake (CAGE questionnaire). Additionally, stress coping mechanisms were investigated. Results: A total of 864 students participated in the survey. The mean total OLBI and PHQ-9 scores equalled 43.3 ± 2.7 and 11.3±5.8 points, respectively. The CAGE questionnaire was positive in 21.6% of students. Three most prevalent stress coping mechanisms included TV binge-watching, binge-eating and cigarette chain smoking (51.0%, 45.0% and 28.0% respectively). Conclusions: Future studies are required to confirm the obtained results, assess, and monitor trends and set-up interventions to improve the welfare of health-related science MUG students.