Faculty of Medicine

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    Item type:Publication,
    Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards HPV infections, complications of HPV infections and the HPV vaccine among students of Medical Science in North Macedonia
    (Royal Academy of Medicine of the Balearic Islands, 2024-01-11)
    Ana Marja Radevska
    ;
    Edmond Brava
    ;
    Keti Skeparovska
    ;
    Ivana Gacova
    ;
    Alexandra Micevska
    Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common causes of sexually transmitted diseases. The HPV vaccine is crucial in the primary prevention of HPV infection and associated diseases and complications. This objective of the study was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices of the Medical students in North Macedonia towards HPV infections, complications of HPV infections and the HPV vaccine. Materials and methods: In the period of November 2022 – December 2022 a study using a semi - structured questionnaire was conducted in Medical Faculties in North Macedonia, covering 728 people over 18 years old that are medical students. Standard descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic characteristics. Results: A total of 728 participants took part in the survey, predominantly female (n=601, 82.5%). Around one third of all respondents (36.4%) have received the HPV vaccine. We established a statistically significant difference between the vaccinated and non-vaccinated respondents in terms of gender (χ2=22.231, p<0.001) and this proved to be the strongest predictor for vaccination in the logistic regression analysis. The main driver for hesitation regarding the HPV vaccine was the fear of possible side effects and there was an association between the fear of possible side effects and the probability for vaccination (15.1%% (n=40) vaccinated vs. 41.2% (n=191) non-vaccinated students, χ2=73.020, p<0.001). The students who didn’t agree with the statement that recommending the HPV vaccine to teenagers will send a message that it is okay to become sexually active at an early age were 1.89 times more likely to have been vaccinated. Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that medical students in North Macedonia had a suboptimal uptake of the HPV vaccine. To increase the coverage, it is essential that people get the right information. Having doubts about the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness is the main cause of vaccination hesitancy.
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    Item type:Publication,
    Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards the influenza vaccine among the adult population in North Macedonia
    (Royal Academy of Medicine of the Balearic Islands, 2024-01-22)
    Gacova, Ivana
    ;
    Radevska, Ana Marija
    ;
    Ivkovska, Sanja
    ;
    Brava, Edmond
    ;
    Skeparovska, Keti
    Introduction: Vaccination against seasonal influenza is the most effective way to prevent infections, hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the North Macedonia adult population towards seasonal influenza vaccine. Materials and methods: A prospective cross-sectional study in November-December 2022 among the adult population of North Macedonia was conducted. A total of 1012 respondents filled in the 4-item semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information on demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards the influenza vaccine. The chi-square test was used to test for associations and logistic regression was used to determine the effect of variables on the possibility of vaccination. Results and discussion: The median age of the respondents was 36 years, predominantly female (73.5%). Only 7.8% of respondents received the influenza vaccine in the previous season (2021/2022) and 12.4% planned to vaccinate in the current season. A statistically significant difference between the vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals was established in terms of age groups and the presence of comorbidity (χ2=11.246, p=0.004). The vaccinated respondents significantly more often tend to consider the influenza vaccine as safe (χ2=5.026, p=0.025) and effective (χ2=11.247, p=0.001). Respondents who had comorbidities, who considered the vaccine as effective, and were not afraid of possible side effects were 3 times, 2.0 times, and 1.8 times more likely respectively to have received an influenza vaccine. Additionally, the respondents who tend to rely more on social media and internet as the main source of information regarding the flu vaccine were 0.5 times more likely to have rejected the vaccine. Conclusion: Addressing influenza vaccine safety, efficacy, patient-specific recommendations and encouraging effective physician communication and counselling are some of the key areas for increasing knowledge and awareness.