Background: In the United States, discourse on COVID-19 vaccination has become polarized, and the positions of public health officials are met with skepticism by many vaccine-hesitant Americans. This polarization may impact future vaccination efforts as well as clinician-patient relationships.
Methods: We interviewed 77 vaccine-hesitant patients and 41 clinicians about COVID-19 vaccination communication in primary care as part of a Veterans Affairs (VA) trial evaluating a vaccine-communication intervention. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative analysis focused on one aspect of those interviews-the disconnect between primary care clinicians' and patients' perceptions about COVID-19 vaccination communication and decision-making.
Results: Rapid qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed fundamental differences in how clinicians and patients understood and described the reasoning, values, and concerns underlying COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. These differences were significant and value-laden; they included negative judgments that could undermine communication between clinicians and patients and, over time, erode trust and empathy.
Conclusion: We advocate for empathic listening and suggest communication strategies to bridge the divide between clinicians and vaccine-hesitant patients.
Keywords: COVID-19 vaccination; Healthcare communication; Healthcare relationships; Motivational interviewing; Trust; Vaccine hesitancy.
© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.