The growing vaccine hesitancy: exploring the influence of the internet

Vrdelja, Mitja; Kraigher, Alenka; Verčič, Dejan; Kropivnik, Samo

doi:10.1093/eurpub/cky114

Cited by 54 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Today, access to social media (72.9% of households use smartphones) is far greater in India than access to TV (45.0%) or cooking gas cylinders (21.6%) [ 18 ]. Usually, mothers seek information online, especially when concerned about vaccine safety [ 51 ]. As it is difficult to control and verify all the information available on the various platforms, it is important to increase access to transparent and scientifically validated information about the risks and benefits of vaccines as well as answer questions with balanced and accurate information.…”

Section: Opportunities To Increase Vaccine Confidence In Indiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

et al. 2020

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Vaccines have contributed substantially to decreasing the morbidity and mortality rates of many infectious diseases worldwide. Despite this achievement, an increasing number of parents have adopted hesitant behaviours towards vaccines, delaying or even refusing their administration to children. This has implications not only on individuals but also society in the form of outbreaks for e.g. measles, chicken pox, hepatitis A, etc. A review of the literature was conducted to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy (VH) as well as vaccine confidence and link them to challenges and opportunities associated with vaccination in India, safety concerns, doubts about the need for vaccines against uncommon diseases and suspicions towards new vaccines were identified as major vaccine-specific factors of VH. Lack of awareness and limited access to vaccination sites were often reported by hesitant parents. Lastly, socio-economic level, educational level and cultural specificities were contextual factors of VH in India. Controversies and rumours around some vaccines (e.g., human papillomavirus) have profoundly impacted the perception of the risks and benefits of vaccination. Challenges posed by traditions and cultural behaviours, geographical specificities, socio-demographic disparities, the healthcare system and vaccine-specific features are highlighted, and opportunities to improve confidence are identified. To overcome VH and promote vaccination, emphasis should be on improving communication, educating the new generation and creating awareness among the society. Tailoring immunisation programmes as per the needs of specific geographical areas or communities is also important to improve vaccine confidence. Fig. 1 Plain language summary

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Section: Opportunities To Increase Vaccine Confidence In Indiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

et al. 2020

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“…However, an unsurprising finding was that a large majority of pharmacists identified the Internet as being their main source of information, rather than the medical establishment. It should be underlined that several studies have expressed concern about the quality and accuracy of health information on the web [30][31][32], and, therefore, it may not provide all of the details necessary to allow the pharmacists to make well-informed suggestions. Consequently, it is possible that there are missed opportunities for pharmacists to provide high quality information.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Infectious Diseases Related to Travel of Community Pharmacists in Italy

Polla

Pelullo

Napolitano

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Pharmacists should be educated about travel medicine, since they could influence their own choices and those of the individuals they encounter. This study aims to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards infectious diseases related to travel among community pharmacists in Italy. The data was collected from September 2018 to September 2019 using semi-structured telephone interviews. Only 1.8% answered correctly to all seven questions regarding the infectious diseases related to travel. Community pharmacists who had heard about travel medicine and those who had received information were more likely to have good knowledge. More than two-thirds of the respondents believed that it is important to provide information to the public about travel medicine. Pharmacists who worked a higher number of hours per week, were more knowledgeable about the more frequent infectious diseases related to travel, believed that travel medicine was a pharmacist competency, believed that they could give advice to the public, and had received information from scientific journals and educational activities were more likely to have this positive attitude. More than two-thirds often/always informed the public about the importance of having travel health center counseling. Pharmacists who had heard about travel medicine and those who believed that they could give advice to the public were more likely to inform. Interventions are needed to improve knowledge in order that community pharmacists can play an active role in counseling the public.

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“…There is a great deal of literature about vaccine confidence or hesitancy among HCPs and how HCP confidence correlates with coverage. 6,10,[12][13][14][15][16] Other studies examining communication methods have highlighted parents' needs for impartial discussions about vaccines from HCPs, using patient-tailored information. [17][18][19] Much less is written about the challenges HCPs themselves face in undertaking this role.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges facing vaccinators in the 21^stcentury: results from a focus group qualitative study

Wiot

Shirley²,

Prugnola

et al. 2019

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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Introduction: Barriers to vaccination and the important role of healthcare professionals (HCPs) in influencing immunization decisions made by parents/patients have been well documented. Little information describes challenges that HCPs face in carrying out their role as vaccinators.Methods: We conducted a focus group study asking HCPs to describe their expectations as frontline vaccinators versus the day-to-day reality they faced. Participants described challenges impacting their ability and motivation as vaccinators, and proposed key solutions to the most important challenges. A total of 75 nurses and physicians (sixteen groups of frontline vaccinators) from the United Kingdom, United States, Germany and India participated in 2 hour focus-group discussions.Results: There was disconnect between how participants viewed their role in preserving population health when they started their career, and the reality of real-world practice today. Challenges experienced and reflected were similar across professional groups and countries. Low patient-level vaccine knowledge, patient miseducation, untimely vaccine information, frequently changing vaccine schedules, time pressures, lack of centralized record systems, pressure to achieve vaccination targets, and in some instances vaccine costs, all impacted the efficiency and enthusiasm of HCPs. Identified solutions by the same providers included improving patient-level information, equipping HCPs with effective information, and practical ways to reduce the vaccination burden by improved administrative processes and centralized recording coupled with delegating vaccinator roles.Conclusion: This focus group gives unique insights into needs of HCPs to fulfill their role as vaccinators. Supporting and equipping vaccinators is critical to the continuing success of vaccination programs and the proposed life-course immunization strategy. (Supplementary Appendix 1)

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The growing vaccine hesitancy: exploring the influence of the internet

Cited by 54 publications

References 33 publications

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Infectious Diseases Related to Travel of Community Pharmacists in Italy

Challenges facing vaccinators in the 21^stcentury: results from a focus group qualitative study

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The growing vaccine hesitancy: exploring the influence of the internet

Cited by 54 publications

References 33 publications

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

Vaccine Hesitancy as a Challenge or Vaccine Confidence as an Opportunity for Childhood Immunisation in India

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Infectious Diseases Related to Travel of Community Pharmacists in Italy

Challenges facing vaccinators in the 21stcentury: results from a focus group qualitative study

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Product

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Challenges facing vaccinators in the 21^stcentury: results from a focus group qualitative study