Dal Piano Nazionale di Prevenzione Vaccinale alla legge sull'obbligo: opinioni ed attitudini di un campione di operatori sanitari [Policy changes introduced by the national vaccine prevention plan and the mandatory vaccination law of 2017: opinions and attitudes of Italian healthcare workers]

The Italian National Vaccine Prevention Plan (PNPV) of 2017-19 and subsequent mandatory vaccination law (Law 119/2017) both occurred in the context of a progressive decrease in vaccine coverage levels in Italy and led to important policy changes, including the introduction of new vaccine recommendations and increasing the number of mandatory vaccinations in childhood from four to ten. A survey on a sample of 446 Italian health care workers (HCW) was carried out in order to assess their opinions on policy changes introduced by the PNPV and by the mandatory vaccination law. The convenience sample was selected among participants in a training course on vaccination counselling. The large majority of participants expressed overall satisfaction about the policy changes introduced by the PNPV but some highlighted pitfalls related to its implementation. Moreover, the majority of HCW believe that vaccination coverage for both recommended and mandatory vaccinations has increased thanks to Law 119/2017, therefore expressing a positive attitude towards the enforcement of vaccine mandates.