A Survey of the Awareness, Knowledge, and Vaccine Acceptability of Herpes Zoster in Dermatologic Outpatients of University Hospital

Youn, Sang Ho; Na, Chan Ho; Kim, Min Sung; Shin, Bong Seok

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Herpes zoster (HZ) infection can significantly damage the quality of life of affected individuals and the treatment for HZ is lengthy and expensive. However, there is limited information available on the perception of the disease and the HZ vaccine in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the awareness of HZ and the HZ vaccine in patients at the dermatology clinic.
METHODS
A questionnaire-based survey was conducted with 835 outpatients who visited the dermatologic clinic.
RESULTS
The patient responses revealed a high level of awareness of HZ (81.2%), but a lack of detailed knowledge about HZ (56.9%) and the HZ vaccine (39.3%). As a result of this survey, it was confirmed that the level of understanding of the direct cause, pathophysiology, recurrence, and infectiousness of HZ was relatively inadequate, though there was a high level of awareness of the symptoms and clinical features of HZ in the individuals taking the questionnaire. Based on our findings, the knowledge of HZ was higher in females, the elderly, highly educated individuals, and in individuals with multiple chronic diseases (p<0.05). Additionally, the HZ vaccination rate among patients was 3.2%, and the majority of the individuals taking the questionnaire (66.2%) responded that they were willing to get vaccinated based on their physician's recommendation.
CONCLUSION
Although the majority of individuals are aware of HZ, they do not appear to have sufficiently detailed knowledge about this condition. Therefore, a nationwide HZ education and vaccination program, in which dermatologists will play a major role, is strongly recommended.