Asking patients to complete a brief vaccine hesitancy questionnaire before a checkup could help physicians quickly understand concerns and address them effectively during appointments, MIT Technology Review reported Jan. 31.
While vaccine hesitancy is often used as a broad term, it encompasses a spectrum of perspectives, ranging from mild wariness to strong opposition, according to Jonathan Kantor, MD, a physician researcher affiliated with the Philadelphia-based University of Pennsylvania and University of Oxford in England.
Dr. Kantor and his colleagues developed a 13-question survey to assess hesitancy, which they tested on 1,000 participants in the U.S. and U.K. They found that questionnaire responses accurately predicted whether an individual had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Their research also identified three key themes behind vaccine concerns:
- Beliefs — Skepticism about vaccine safety and necessity
- Pain — Fear of discomfort from injections
- Deliberation — A preference for conducting personal research before deciding
Given physicians' limited time with patients, they may not always have the opportunity for in-depth discussions on vaccines. However, a pre-visit questionnaire could help clinicians quickly understand patients' concerns and determine the most effective way to address them during the appointment, according to Dr. Kantor, a practicing physician.
With declining vaccination rates contributing to recent measles outbreaks and the resurgence of other preventable diseases, these types of tools could help improve vaccine uptake and public health outcomes, experts said.
Read the full article here.