Novel COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, and associated factors, amongst medical students: a scoping review

Abstract

Medical students are likely to be exposed to COVID‐19 patients so achieving high vaccination coverage rates for this group of healthcare workers is important, as is their potential as vaccination role models. The aim of this scoping review was to evaluate the current literature to determine the rates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, and associated factors, amongst medical students. Systematic searches of the Medline Ovid, Embase, PubMed, and Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC) online databases was conducted for relevant articles with keywords: ‘COVID-19’, ‘vaccine hesitancy & acceptance’ and ‘medical students’. Articles were included for review if they reported the rates of vaccine hesitancy and acceptance, and associated factors, amongst medical students. Of the 258 articles identified, 52 met the inclusion criteria and underwent full-text review. Rates of vaccine hesitancy ranged from 5.4−86.7%, with generally positive attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. The main factors associated with vaccine hesitancy were concerns about the safety and efficacy of vaccines due to their accelerated development, being a pre-clinical medical student, and low perceived personal risk of COVID-19 infection. Inconsistencies were found for the influence of gender on attitudes towards vaccinations. Previous vaccination behaviours were predictive of willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Knowledge about COVID-19 vaccinations and their importance was found to be deficient amongst vaccine hesitant medical students. Generally, medical students express low levels of vaccine hesitancy. However, due to the variability in the factors associated with vaccine hesitancy across different populations and the dynamic and contextual nature of hesitancy, it is recommended that vaccination intent and associated attitudes are monitored on a longitudinal basis. It is important to map vaccine hesitancy at a local level to allow medical schools to develop strategies to encourage vaccination specific to their school’s needs.

The Link between COVID-19 Pandemic and Vaccine Hesitancy

“…Among these articles, a prevailing theme emerged regarding the dynamics of vaccine acceptance versus hesitancy. A notable majority, comprising 51 articles, indicated that the willingness to receive vaccination outweighed hesitancy [5,6]. The vaccine hesitancy appeared to be more pronounced during the initial stages of the pandemic when COVID-19 was still considered novel.…”

Clinical and prognostic implications of hyaluronic acid in patients with COVID-19 reinfection and first infection

“…In other words, COVID-19 vaccination did not appear to have a significant effect on HA levels. Given the impact of vaccination on the immune response and the development of novel vaccine technologies, it is necessary to further evaluate their potential role in HA production and other important physiological processes (Pandher and Bilszta, 2023).…”