A Prospective, Cross-sectional, Questionnaire-based Survey to Assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Healthcare Practitioners to Understand the Barriers to Pneumococcal Vaccination in Adults in India

Pneumococcal diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae are vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs); these are among the major causes of death worldwide. However, there is very little awareness of adult pneumococcal vaccination in India. In this cross-sectional, descriptive, questionnaire-based survey, we assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of healthcare professionals (HCPs) to understand the barriers to pneumococcal vaccination in adults in India. Of the total 1,500 HCPs participating in the survey, most reported the prevalence of pneumococcal infections observed in routine practice to be 0-20%, commonly affecting patients aged >65 years. Factors such as awareness of disease burden, vaccine availability, and cost play an important role in HCPs' decision to advise the vaccination. Per HCPs, patient-level obstacles to vaccinations are limited information and understanding of vaccine safety and effectiveness, lack of affordability, and nonincentivized or nonmandatory vaccination, leading to a very low rate of pneumococcal vaccination in adults in India.