Healthcare provider recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination: Prevalence, disparities, and correlates.
Don E Willis, Ji Li, James P Selig and 6 others
PMID 39504805WHAT IT FOUND
In Arkansas, 62.8% of adults with a provider reported a COVID-19 vaccination recommendation.
Recommendations were less common when patients seemed hesitant, perceived fewer vaccinated contacts, or lacked coverage. Do not assume every patient has been advised to vaccinate.
Key findings
0162.8% of weighted respondents reported that their provider recommended COVID-19 vaccination.
02Very hesitant respondents had 35.0% lower adjusted odds of reporting a provider recommendation than respondents who were not at all hesitant.
03Respondents with health care coverage had 66.0% greater adjusted odds of reporting a provider recommendation than respondents without coverage.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it can show associations but cannot prove that hesitancy, norms, or coverage caused providers to recommend vaccination. Answers were self-reported, so patients may have misremembered or not heard a recommendation. The analysis excluded adults without a personal provider, which may make the sample more connected to care than the full population. The study did not examine clinic-level, regional, or provider-level factors that could explain differences in recommendations. Results were weighted to Arkansas and may not generalize to other states. Non-binary respondents were excluded because there were fewer than 10, and some racial and ethnic groups were combined because of small numbers. Annual household income was missing for 12.0% of respondents.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that providers should withhold vaccination recommendations from hesitant patients because they are less likely to report receiving one. This survey only shows associations, and it did not test whether recommendations change vaccination behavior.