Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts
We explored perspectives of clinicians in central and western Massachusetts about efforts to vaccinate pediatric patients against COVID-19 as well as best practices and challenges for vaccine delivery. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 16) with family practice and pediatric cl...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552200273X |
| _version_ | 1798035841127284736 |
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| author | Grace W. Ryan Melissa Goulding Amy Borg Princilla Minkah Sophie Hermann Lloyd Fisher Milagros C. Rosal Stephenie C. Lemon |
| author_facet | Grace W. Ryan Melissa Goulding Amy Borg Princilla Minkah Sophie Hermann Lloyd Fisher Milagros C. Rosal Stephenie C. Lemon |
| author_sort | Grace W. Ryan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We explored perspectives of clinicians in central and western Massachusetts about efforts to vaccinate pediatric patients against COVID-19 as well as best practices and challenges for vaccine delivery. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 16) with family practice and pediatric clinicians between late October and early December 2021. Our interviews addressed: process for vaccination and vaccine promotion, parental receptivity to COVID-19 vaccination, receptivity to other pediatric vaccines, resources needed to support vaccine promotion, and best practices developed to encourage hesitant parents. Using a multi-prong recruitment strategy we invited clinicians to participate in telephone interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. We used rapid qualitative analysis to produce summary templates for each interview which were ultimately combined into a matrix summary. The majority of participants (n = 10) were offering the vaccine in their own clinics, while the remainder cited challenges related to staffing, logistics, and space that prevented them from offering the vaccine. Clinicians reported parents fall into three groups: vaccine-accepting, hesitant but potentially accepting, and refusers. Strategies they identified that worked to encourage hesitant parents were sharing personal vaccine stories, acknowledging parents’ fears about the vaccine, and being persistent with the most hesitant parents. Yet resources are needed including educational materials and training in how to have these conversations. While challenges related to staffing and space will be difficult to overcome for clinics to be able to offer vaccination on-site, our results highlight the importance of developing effective messaging strategies and training clinicians in how to integrate them into routine practice. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:03:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c323bb3e4d24db4b536471af4746099 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-3355 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:03:53Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Preventive Medicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c323bb3e4d24db4b536471af47460992022-12-22T04:03:24ZengElsevierPreventive Medicine Reports2211-33552022-10-0129101966Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, MassachusettsGrace W. Ryan0Melissa Goulding1Amy Borg2Princilla Minkah3Sophie Hermann4Lloyd Fisher5Milagros C. Rosal6Stephenie C. Lemon7Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United States; Department of Healthcare Delivery and Population Sciences, UMass Chan-Baystate Baystate Health, 3601 Main Street, Springfield, MA, 01107, United States; Corresponding author.Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United StatesDivision of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United StatesDivision of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United StatesHolyoke Health Center, 230 Maple St, Holyoke MA 01040, United StatesDepartment of Pediatrics, UMass Memorial Health, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester MA 01605, United States; Reliant Medical Group, 5 Neponset St, Worcester, MA 01605, United StatesDivision of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United StatesDivision of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Population and Quantitative, Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, 368 Plantation St, Worcester MA 01605, United StatesWe explored perspectives of clinicians in central and western Massachusetts about efforts to vaccinate pediatric patients against COVID-19 as well as best practices and challenges for vaccine delivery. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 16) with family practice and pediatric clinicians between late October and early December 2021. Our interviews addressed: process for vaccination and vaccine promotion, parental receptivity to COVID-19 vaccination, receptivity to other pediatric vaccines, resources needed to support vaccine promotion, and best practices developed to encourage hesitant parents. Using a multi-prong recruitment strategy we invited clinicians to participate in telephone interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed. We used rapid qualitative analysis to produce summary templates for each interview which were ultimately combined into a matrix summary. The majority of participants (n = 10) were offering the vaccine in their own clinics, while the remainder cited challenges related to staffing, logistics, and space that prevented them from offering the vaccine. Clinicians reported parents fall into three groups: vaccine-accepting, hesitant but potentially accepting, and refusers. Strategies they identified that worked to encourage hesitant parents were sharing personal vaccine stories, acknowledging parents’ fears about the vaccine, and being persistent with the most hesitant parents. Yet resources are needed including educational materials and training in how to have these conversations. While challenges related to staffing and space will be difficult to overcome for clinics to be able to offer vaccination on-site, our results highlight the importance of developing effective messaging strategies and training clinicians in how to integrate them into routine practice.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552200273X |
| spellingShingle | Grace W. Ryan Melissa Goulding Amy Borg Princilla Minkah Sophie Hermann Lloyd Fisher Milagros C. Rosal Stephenie C. Lemon Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts Preventive Medicine Reports |
| title | Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts |
| title_full | Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts |
| title_fullStr | Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts |
| title_short | Clinician perspectives on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination: A qualitative study in central and western, Massachusetts |
| title_sort | clinician perspectives on pediatric covid 19 vaccination a qualitative study in central and western massachusetts |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221133552200273X |
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