Impact of a physician recommendation on COVID-19 vaccination intent among vaccine hesitant individuals.
Kimberly A Fisher, Ngoc Nguyen, Hassan Fouayzi and 3 others
PMID 36244947WHAT IT FOUND
Among unsure participants, 33.1% said they would get vaccinated after a physician message.
Messages with a clear recommendation had higher proportions than the participatory message. Among those saying no, only the protect-others recommendation had a higher proportion than participatory.
Key findings
01Among participants initially unsure, 33.1% became less hesitant after a physician message, and each of the four explicit recommendation messages had a higher proportion than the participatory message.
02Among participants initially saying no, 13.1% became less hesitant, and the protect-others recommendation message had a higher proportion than the participatory message (19.8% versus 8.7%, p = .03).
03There were no statistically significant differences among the four explicit recommendation messages for participants initially unsure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not adjust for multiple comparisons, so some p values near .05 may be unstable. The explicit messages combined a safety statement, an explicit recommendation, and a persuasion strategy, so the study cannot separate which element caused any difference. It tested hypothetical messages in a survey, not real conversations with a clinician. The outcome was stated intent at the visit, not whether people actually got vaccinated. The vaccine was under Emergency Use Authorization at the time, so later conversations may differ. The sample was recruited online and restricted to White, Black, or Latino U.S. adults, so it may not represent other groups. The messages were not tailored to each person's main concern about the vaccine. Four participants who initially said no did not answer the outcome question and were excluded from the analysis.
Declared interests
Funded by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, under a cooperative agreement with the University of Massachusetts, Worcester. The authors reported no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the protect-others phrase alone will increase actual vaccination. The message also included a safety statement and an explicit recommendation, and the study measured immediate intent after a hypothetical doctor message, not vaccination.