Primary care providers’ views of discussing COVID-19 vaccination with vaccine hesitant patients: A qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe primary care providers’ (PCPs) perspectives on discussing COVID-19 vaccination with their patients. MethodsAll PCPs from 11 primary care clinics at 3 health systems were invited to participate. Focus groups were conducted between December 2021-January 2022, and were recorded and transcribed. Participants were asked about their experience communicating about the COVID-19 vaccine. Themes and subthemes were inductively identified using thematic analysis. Results40 PCPs participated. All PCPs viewed discussing COVID-19 vaccination as high priority. Strategies for promoting COVID-19 vaccination included influencing what people think and feel, building trust and leveraging their relationship with patients, and practical strategies such as on-site vaccination. Most strategies aimed at influencing what people think and feel and leveraging relationships were viewed as generally ineffective. On-site vaccine availability was identified as the most influential factor. PCPs expressed frustration by their interactions with vaccine hesitant patients, leading them to truncate their communication with these patients. ConclusionsDespite using a broad range of strategies, most PCPs were unable to change the strongly held beliefs among the most vaccine hesitant patients that were often informed by misinformation and mistrust. Practice implicationsPromising strategies for promoting vaccination include social/relational (expressing empathy) and practical (on-site COVID-19 vaccine availability).