Department of Pediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Front Public Health. 2024 Jul 3;12:1408871. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1408871. eCollection 2024.
Vaccine hesitancy is a significant threat to public health. Healthcare providers (HCPs) can address hesitancy during routine patient conversations; however, few multidisciplinary education tools exist for HCPs to learn to engage in vaccine discussion especially considering new vaccine technologies such as mRNA vaccines. The objectives of this study were to explore HCP learners' experiences with COVID-19 vaccine communication, and qualitatively evaluate an online learning module composed of virtual simulation games (VSGs) which utilize the PrOTCT Framework for HCP vaccine communication.
Three virtual focus groups were conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 with Canadian healthcare learners in nursing ( = 6), pharmacy ( = 9), and medicine ( = 7) who participated in a larger study measuring the effectiveness of the VSGs. Using a pragmatic approach, a qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo to identify themes and subthemes.
A total of 22 HCP learners participated in this study and three key themes were identified. Across all three disciplines, participants expressed that (1) their prior education lacked training on how to hold vaccine conversations, resulting in uncomfortable personal experiences with patients; (2) the VSGs increased their confidence in holding vaccine conversations by providing novel tools and skills; and (3) participants also provided feedback to improve the VSGs which was implemented and supported the dissemination to all HCP professions.
Although HCPs are a trusted source of vaccine information, participants in this study felt they received little training on how to engage in challenging conversations regarding COVID-19 vaccines. The introduction of the PrOTCT Framework and presumptive statements provided novel strategies for HCP to initiate vaccine conversations, especially considering new vaccine technologies and participants appreciated the emphasis on coping strategies and resilience. It is essential that HCP are provided both opportunities to practice managing these conversations, and tools and skills to succeed at an early point in their careers to prepare them for future roles in vaccine advocacy, delivery, and promotion.
疫苗犹豫是对公共卫生的重大威胁。医疗保健提供者 (HCP) 可以在常规患者对话中解决犹豫问题；然而，几乎没有为 HCP 提供多学科教育工具来学习进行疫苗讨论，特别是考虑到新的疫苗技术，如 mRNA 疫苗。本研究的目的是探讨 HCP 学习者在 COVID-19 疫苗沟通方面的经验，并对由虚拟模拟游戏 (VSG) 组成的在线学习模块进行定性评估，该模块利用 HCP 疫苗沟通的 PrOTCT 框架。
2022 年 12 月至 2023 年 1 月期间，与加拿大护理（=6）、药学（=9）和医学（=7）的医疗保健学习者进行了三次虚拟焦点小组讨论，他们参加了一项更大规模的研究，以衡量 VSG 的有效性。使用实用方法，使用 NVivo 对定性主题分析进行了分析，以确定主题和子主题。
共有 22 名 HCP 学习者参加了这项研究，确定了三个关键主题。在所有三个学科中，参与者都表示：(1) 他们之前的教育缺乏关于如何进行疫苗对话的培训，导致与患者的个人经历不愉快；(2) VSG 通过提供新的工具和技能提高了他们进行疫苗对话的信心；(3) 参与者还提供了反馈意见，以改进 VSG，这些意见得到了实施，并支持向所有 HCP 专业人员传播。
尽管 HCP 是疫苗信息的可信来源，但参与本研究的参与者表示，他们很少接受关于如何就 COVID-19 疫苗进行挑战性对话的培训。PrOTCT 框架和假设陈述的引入为 HCP 提供了新的策略来启动疫苗对话，特别是考虑到新的疫苗技术，参与者赞赏应对策略和弹性的强调。至关重要的是，HCP 不仅要提供练习管理这些对话的机会，还要提供工具和技能，以便在职业生涯早期取得成功，为他们未来在疫苗宣传、提供和推广方面的角色做好准备。
