Psycho-Oncology Cooperative Research Group, School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2023 Feb;19(1):234-242. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13808. Epub 2022 Jul 18.
The risk of dying from COVID-19 is higher for those who are older, immune-compromised, or chronically ill. Vaccines are an effective strategy in reducing mortality and morbidity from COVID-19. However, for COVID-19 vaccination programs to reach full potential, vaccines must be taken up by those at greatest risk, such as cancer patients. Understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders involved in cancer patient COVID-19 vaccine uptake will be critical to ensuring appropriate support, and information is provided to facilitate vaccination. The aim of this research was to explore the longitudinal views of cancer stakeholders regarding COVID-19 vaccination.
Semistructured interviews were conducted with cancer patients (n = 23), family members (n = 10), cancer health professionals (n = 19), and representatives of cancer nongovernment organizations (n = 7) across Australia 6 and 12 months postrecruitment. Transcripts were thematically analyzed, using an inductive approach.
All stakeholder groups expressed mostly positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, with the following key themes identified: (1) high motivation-vaccination perceived as offering health protection and hope; (2) hesitancy-concern about vaccine hesitancy among the general population, with a minority hesitant themselves; (3) confusion and frustration-regarding the vaccine rollout and patient eligibility; (4) uncertainty-about vaccination in the context of cancer; (5) access to vaccination; and (6) desire for expert individualized advice-on vaccine interaction with cancer treatments.
These findings highlight the COVID-19 vaccine concerns and information needs of cancer stakeholders. Policymakers need to provide clear tailored information regarding vaccine eligibility, accessibility, benefits, and risks to facilitate vaccine uptake.
COVID-19 导致死亡的风险在老年人、免疫功能低下者或慢性病患者中更高。疫苗是降低 COVID-19 死亡率和发病率的有效策略。然而，为了使 COVID-19 疫苗接种计划充分发挥作用，必须让那些风险最大的人，如癌症患者，接种疫苗。了解参与癌症患者 COVID-19 疫苗接种的所有利益相关者的观点，对于确保提供适当的支持和信息以促进疫苗接种至关重要。本研究的目的是探讨癌症利益相关者对 COVID-19 疫苗接种的纵向看法。
在澳大利亚，对 6 个月和 12 个月后招募的癌症患者（n=23）、家庭成员（n=10）、癌症卫生专业人员（n=19）和癌症非政府组织（n=7）代表进行了半结构式访谈。使用归纳方法对转录本进行了主题分析。
所有利益相关者群体对 COVID-19 疫苗接种的态度大多是积极的，确定了以下关键主题：（1）高动机-疫苗接种被认为提供健康保护和希望；（2）犹豫-对普通人群中的疫苗犹豫表示关注，少数人自己也犹豫不决；（3）困惑和沮丧-关于疫苗的推出和患者的资格；（4）不确定性-在癌症背景下关于疫苗接种；（5）接种疫苗的机会；（6）对专家个体化建议的渴望-关于疫苗与癌症治疗的相互作用。
这些发现强调了癌症利益相关者对 COVID-19 疫苗的关注和信息需求。决策者需要提供有关疫苗资格、可及性、益处和风险的明确、有针对性的信息，以促进疫苗接种。
