Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study
Healthcare workers are a trusted health information source and are uniquely positioned to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to understand attitudes of healthcare workers working in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2144048 |
| _version_ | 1797673094685392896 |
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| author | Sharon M. Casey Shana A. B. Burrowes Taylor Hall Sidney Dobbins Mengyu Ma Ruqiyya Bano Christina Yarrington Elissa M. Schechter-Perkins Christopher Garofalo Mari-Lynn Drainoni Rebecca B. Perkins Natalie Pierre-Joseph |
| author_facet | Sharon M. Casey Shana A. B. Burrowes Taylor Hall Sidney Dobbins Mengyu Ma Ruqiyya Bano Christina Yarrington Elissa M. Schechter-Perkins Christopher Garofalo Mari-Lynn Drainoni Rebecca B. Perkins Natalie Pierre-Joseph |
| author_sort | Sharon M. Casey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Healthcare workers are a trusted health information source and are uniquely positioned to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to understand attitudes of healthcare workers working in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine utilization, including vaccine mandates and incentives. Fifty-two individuals completed one-on-one interviews between April 22nd and September 7th, 2021. The survey was developed based on findings from the interviews; 209 individuals completed the online survey between February 17th and March 23rd, 2022. Both the interview and survey asked about attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine and booster mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve vaccination rates. Most participants were female (79%-interview, 81%-survey), Caucasian (56%, 73%), and worked as physicians (37%, 34%) or nurses (10%, 18%). Overall, nuanced attitudes regarding vaccine and booster mandates were expressed; many supported mandates to protect their patients’ health, others emphasized personal autonomy, while some were against mandates if job termination was the consequence of declining vaccines. Similarly, views regarding vaccine incentives differed; some considered incentives helpful, yet many viewed them as coercive. Strategies believed to be most effective to encourage vaccination included improving accessibility to vaccination sites, addressing misinformation, discussing vaccine safety, tailored community outreach via trusted messengers, and one-on-one conversations between patients and healthcare workers. Healthcare workers’ experiences with strategies to improve utilization of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have implications for public health policies. Generally, efforts to improve access and education were viewed more favorably than incentives and mandates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:39:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f74fc29fecf4acdb7b63a3873557f29 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2164-5515 2164-554X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:39:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f74fc29fecf4acdb7b63a3873557f292023-09-26T13:25:46ZengTaylor & Francis GroupHuman Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics2164-55152164-554X2022-11-0118610.1080/21645515.2022.21440482144048Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods studySharon M. Casey0Shana A. B. Burrowes1Taylor Hall2Sidney Dobbins3Mengyu Ma4Ruqiyya Bano5Christina Yarrington6Elissa M. Schechter-Perkins7Christopher Garofalo8Mari-Lynn Drainoni9Rebecca B. Perkins10Natalie Pierre-Joseph11Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University School of Public HealthBoston University School of Public HealthBoston University School of Public HealthBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineSturdy Memorial HospitalBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineBoston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of MedicineHealthcare workers are a trusted health information source and are uniquely positioned to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to understand attitudes of healthcare workers working in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine utilization, including vaccine mandates and incentives. Fifty-two individuals completed one-on-one interviews between April 22nd and September 7th, 2021. The survey was developed based on findings from the interviews; 209 individuals completed the online survey between February 17th and March 23rd, 2022. Both the interview and survey asked about attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine and booster mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve vaccination rates. Most participants were female (79%-interview, 81%-survey), Caucasian (56%, 73%), and worked as physicians (37%, 34%) or nurses (10%, 18%). Overall, nuanced attitudes regarding vaccine and booster mandates were expressed; many supported mandates to protect their patients’ health, others emphasized personal autonomy, while some were against mandates if job termination was the consequence of declining vaccines. Similarly, views regarding vaccine incentives differed; some considered incentives helpful, yet many viewed them as coercive. Strategies believed to be most effective to encourage vaccination included improving accessibility to vaccination sites, addressing misinformation, discussing vaccine safety, tailored community outreach via trusted messengers, and one-on-one conversations between patients and healthcare workers. Healthcare workers’ experiences with strategies to improve utilization of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have implications for public health policies. Generally, efforts to improve access and education were viewed more favorably than incentives and mandates.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2144048covid-19vaccinesvaccine hesitancyvaccine attitudesincentivesmandates |
| spellingShingle | Sharon M. Casey Shana A. B. Burrowes Taylor Hall Sidney Dobbins Mengyu Ma Ruqiyya Bano Christina Yarrington Elissa M. Schechter-Perkins Christopher Garofalo Mari-Lynn Drainoni Rebecca B. Perkins Natalie Pierre-Joseph Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics covid-19 vaccines vaccine hesitancy vaccine attitudes incentives mandates |
| title | Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study |
| title_full | Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study |
| title_short | Healthcare workers’ attitudes on mandates, incentives, and strategies to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake: A mixed methods study |
| title_sort | healthcare workers attitudes on mandates incentives and strategies to improve covid 19 vaccine uptake a mixed methods study |
| topic | covid-19 vaccines vaccine hesitancy vaccine attitudes incentives mandates |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2144048 |
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