Medical students’ knowledge and attitudes regarding vaccination against measles, influenza and HPV. An international multicenter study

INTRODUCTION: Inaccurate information leads to increased scepticism concerning vaccinations among health care workers. Therefore, a proper education of medical students on vaccination is important. METHODS: During summer term 2015, we performed a paper-based survey to identify the knowledge and attitudes of medical students on vaccinations against measles, influenza and HPV in seven medical schools in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. RESULTS: Altogether, 3,652 questionnaires were analyzed. Knowledge of country-specific public recommendations increased significantly with the number of semesters of medical studies. Concerning the knowledge about vaccinations against measles, influenza and HPV, one third of the answers were given correctly. Again, a strong correlation between the knowledge and the semester of medical studies could be observed. The attitudes concerning vaccinations in general and especially for HCWs were highly positive. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides some important arguments for the development of a comprehensive vaccination education for medical students.