article · BMC Health Services Research
Hepatitis B vaccines have long been licensed for public use, yet many healthcare professionals in Nigeria remain unprotected. This scoping review analysed twenty-two cross-sectional studies covering 5,537 healthcare workers, published between 2021 and 2025, to assess awareness, knowledge, acceptance, and uptake of the vaccine. Most included studies originated from Southern Nigeria. Awareness of the vaccine among health personnel varied widely by location, spanning from 50.7% in Abuja to 100% in Kaduna State. Similarly, the uptake of at least one vaccine dose showed extreme regional differences, ranging from a low of 19.9% in Anambra State to 80% in Sokoto State. Furthermore, the review identified significant gaps in the available literature, finding only two studies that evaluated vaccine knowledge and two that evaluated acceptance, demonstrating that uptake remains unsatisfactory in multiple areas.
Healthcare workers face heightened workplace exposure to hepatitis B virus, making immunisation essential. Identifying substantial regional disparities in vaccine awareness and uptake highlights where protection is failing. Addressing these regional gaps is crucial for safeguarding the healthcare workforce and improving occupational health policies across different administrative areas.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it focuses strictly on reviewing existing academic literature regarding vaccine awareness and uptake rates among healthcare workers.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Hepatitis B vaccines have been licensed for public use since the 20th century; however, many health workers in Nigeria are yet to recognise the importance of this notable scientific discovery. This scoping review aimed to assess the awareness, knowledge, acceptance, and uptake of hepatitis B vaccines among healthcare workers in Nigeria. The scoping review was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Relevant peer-reviewed studies published from January 2021 to September 2025 were searched from five public databases using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, keywords, truncations and Boolean operators. The Population, Concept, Context (PCC) framework was used to design the inclusion criteria. Relevant data were extracted from each paper, and thematic analysis was done to summarise the findings. Twenty-two studies with a total sample size of 5,537 and all cross-sectional designs were included in the review. The studies were mainly from Southern Nigeria. The awareness of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines among healthcare workers (HCWs) was described in nine studies and it ranged from 50.7% in Abuja to 100% in Kaduna State. The uptake of at least one dose of the vaccine was an outcome in sixteen studies and it ranged from 19.9% in Anambra State to 80% in Sokoto State. There was insufficient evidence on the knowledge and acceptance of HBV vaccines among HCWs in Nigeria, as only two studies reported on each theme. In conclusion, many healthcare workers in Nigeria were aware of effective vaccines for HBV, however, the uptake of these vaccines remained unsatisfactory in some regions.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-026-15426-w
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
