Health Care Providers’ Trusted Sources for Information About COVID-19 Vaccines: Mixed Methods Study

Abstract

Background Information and opinions shared by health care providers can affect patient vaccination decisions, but little is known about who health care providers themselves trust for information in the context of new COVID-19 vaccines. Objective The purpose of this study is to investigate which sources of information about COVID-19 vaccines are trusted by health care providers and how they communicate this information to patients. Methods This mixed methods study involved a one-time, web-based survey of health care providers and qualitative interviews with a subset of survey respondents. Health care providers (physicians, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, nurses) were recruited from an integrated health system in Southern California using voluntary response sampling, with follow-up interviews with providers who either accepted or declined a COVID-19 vaccine. The outcome was the type of information sources that respondents reported trusting for information about COVID-19 vaccines. Bivariate tests were used to compare trusted information sources by provider type; thematic analysis was used to explore perspectives about vaccine information and communicating with patients about vaccines. Results The survey was completed by 2948 providers, of whom 91% (n=2683) responded that they had received ≥1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The most frequently trusted source of COVID-19 vaccine information was government agencies (n=2513, 84.2%); the least frequently trusted source was social media (n=691, 9.5%). More physicians trusted government agencies (n=1226, 93%) than nurses (n=927, 78%) or pharmacists (n=203, 78%; P<.001), and more physicians trusted their employer (n=1115, 84%) than advanced practice providers (n=95, 67%) and nurses (n=759, 64%; P=.002). Qualitative themes (n=32 participants) about trusted sources of COVID-19 vaccine information were identified: processing new COVID-19 information in a health care work context likened to a “war zone” during the pandemic and communicating information to patients. Some providers were hesitant to recommend vaccines to pregnant people and groups they perceived to be at low risk for COVID-19. Conclusions Physicians have stronger trust in government sources and their employers for information about COVID-19 vaccines compared with nurses, pharmacists, and advanced practice providers. Strategies such as role modeling, tailored messaging, or talking points with standard language may help providers to communicate accurate COVID-19 vaccine information to patients, and these strategies may also be used with providers with lower levels of trust in reputable information sources.

COVID-19 Vaccine Perspective Among University Lecturers and Students: A Qualitative Study of Pre Implementation of Vaccination

“… 30 Furthermore, a further reason for doubts arises due to the different methods used by teachers and students in obtaining information. 31 …”

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy between teachers and students in a college, a cross-sectional study in China

“… 27 Furthermore, the difference in methods used to gain information between students and teachers may be further reason for the difference in hesitancies. 31 At present, the hesitancy of collegial students in different countries (such as Italy, France, and Jordan) is 13.9%–42.0% 32–34 . Bai et al have shown that the students’ hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccination in a Chinese university is 23.7% 19 .…”

Strengthening polio vaccine demand in Ghana: Understanding the factors influencing uptake of the vaccine and the effectiveness of different message frames

“…For example, social norms have been identified as the strongest predictors of the intent to be vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) [36,37], as well as a factor that influences parental decisions to vaccinate children [38]. Healthcare workers are repeatedly identified as trusted sources of information which makes them ideal messengers of vaccine-related information both globally and in Ghana [39][40][41], whereas globally fact-framed messages have been found to be less effective [42].…”

“…It is worth noting that social norms may also have a negative effect on behavior because the perception that "not everyone is doing it" can decrease the intention to act. Therefore, one has to be careful not to send out messages that people are not vaccinating children, as this may lead to unintended effects of vaccine hesitancy [39,40]. The safety frame also requires further consideration as safety was identified as a topic that encourages the uptake of vaccines; it is likely that safety as a message frame has utility.…”