Beliefs about Vaccinations: Comparing a Sample from a Medical School to That from the General Population

Abstract

The current study compares health care professionals’ beliefs about vaccination statements with the beliefs of a sample of individuals from the general population. Students and faculty within a medical school (n = 58) and a sample from the general population in the United States (n = 177) were surveyed regarding their beliefs about vaccinations. Participants evaluated statements about vaccinations (both supporting and opposing), and indicated whether they thought the general population would agree with them. Overall, it was found that subjects in both populations agreed with statements supporting vaccination over opposing statements, but the general population was more likely to categorize the supporting statements as beliefs rather than facts. Additionally, there was little consensus within each population as to which statements were considered facts versus beliefs. Both groups underestimated the number of people that would agree with them; however, the medical affiliates showed the effect significantly more. Implications for medical education and health communication are discussed.

Impact assessment of an educational course on vaccinations in a population of medical students

“…In other studies, we can observe that the general population is mostly used to get information from other sources, like word of mouth or the web, and that the general population is more likely to agree with the anti-vaccination statements compared to medical students [8, 9]. This shows that our sample might be different from the general population since the intervention was tailored to medical students, who most frequently have a good scientific background.…”

Patients’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Heart Failure: A web-based cross-sectional study

“…The discrepancies in knowledge highlighted in our study pinpoint speci c areas where patient education can be improved. Patients' uncertainty about avoiding HF triggers and the necessity of comprehensive treatment measures during worsening HF indicates the need for clear and concise communication between healthcare providers and patients [17][18][19]. Educating patients about these aspects may lead to more proactive self-care and fewer HF exacerbations.…”

How to increase awareness of additional vaccinations; the case of maternal pertussis vaccination

“…People also attribute positive terms, such as the ability to distinguish information and assess the reliability of information sources, more often to themselves than others; known as blind-spot bias [ 18 – 21 ].. This might especially be relevant to topics people consider important and they will tend to think other people agree with them [ 22 , 23 ].…”