Public health authorities' perceptions of, and strategies for, communicating and addressing vaccine hesitancy with and among healthcare workers in Europe : A mixed methods analysis of the European Joint Action on Vaccination survey, “Vaccine hesitancy and uptake: from research and practices to implementation”
Carranza, David (2022)
2022
Master's Programme in Public and Global Health
Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-06-13
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202205315388
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202205315388
Tiivistelmä
Reaching public health goals requires comprehensive and dependable communication strategies. The public is usually the target of public health communication, including vaccination communication. As the body of evidence grows showing vaccine hesitancy is best combatted through interpersonal relationships, such as between physician and patient, the need for effective public health communication directed at healthcare workers (HCWs) becomes prominent. Using a mixed methods analysis of a survey tool developed by the European Joint Action on Vaccination, this study attempts to understand how public health authorities in 28 European countries perceive and address vaccine hesitancy through communication activities.
First, the respondents elaborated on their definitions of vaccine hesitancy, which were mostly tantamount to a lack of confidence in vaccinations. Next, they perceived HCWs as a population that largely posed a limited risk of contributing to overall vaccine hesitancy. This trust in HCWs was reiterated as they were reported to be a prominent strategy in delivering vaccine information to the public. Health authorities communicated with HCWs primarily through seminars and training events, along with similar strategies used for the public, such as official websites. Furthermore, among the shared strategy of informational brochures, HCW-focused communication was emphasized less than those aimed at the public (p<0.001). Lastly, regardless of reported barriers to conducting vaccine hesitancy-related work or other factors within the survey, a statistical relationship could not be established to explain the level of emphasis health authorities place on vaccine communication aimed at HCWs. Overall, current perceptions of and the work on vaccine hesitancy remains non-specific and focused more on the public than on HCWs. Due to a small sample size and a narrow focus on European countries, a larger study of health authorities should be conducted to better understand how they perceive and address vaccine hesitancy via HCW-focused communication activities.
First, the respondents elaborated on their definitions of vaccine hesitancy, which were mostly tantamount to a lack of confidence in vaccinations. Next, they perceived HCWs as a population that largely posed a limited risk of contributing to overall vaccine hesitancy. This trust in HCWs was reiterated as they were reported to be a prominent strategy in delivering vaccine information to the public. Health authorities communicated with HCWs primarily through seminars and training events, along with similar strategies used for the public, such as official websites. Furthermore, among the shared strategy of informational brochures, HCW-focused communication was emphasized less than those aimed at the public (p<0.001). Lastly, regardless of reported barriers to conducting vaccine hesitancy-related work or other factors within the survey, a statistical relationship could not be established to explain the level of emphasis health authorities place on vaccine communication aimed at HCWs. Overall, current perceptions of and the work on vaccine hesitancy remains non-specific and focused more on the public than on HCWs. Due to a small sample size and a narrow focus on European countries, a larger study of health authorities should be conducted to better understand how they perceive and address vaccine hesitancy via HCW-focused communication activities.