scholarly journals With Great Hopes Come Great Expectations: Access and Adoption Issues Associated With COVID-19 Vaccines (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaohui Su ◽  
Dean McDonnell ◽  
Ali Cheshmehzangi ◽  
Xiaoshan Li ◽  
Daniel Maestro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Vaccine Efficacy ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Great Expectations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
Health Experts

UNSTRUCTURED Although COVID-19 vaccines are becoming increasingly available, their ability to effectively control and contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly contingent on an array of factors. This paper discusses how limitations to vaccine accessibility, issues associated with vaccine side effects, concerns regarding vaccine efficacy, along with the persistent prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among the public, including health care professionals, might impact the potential of COVID-19 vaccines to curb the pandemic. We draw insights from the literature to identify practical solutions that could boost people’s adoption of COVID-19 vaccines and their accessibility. We conclude with a discussion on health experts’ and government officials’ moral and ethical responsibilities to the public, even in light of the urgency to adopt and endorse “the greatest amount of good for the greatest number” utilitarian philosophy in controlling and managing the spread of COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitation in Online Consumers: Social Media Textual Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Leah Sussman ◽  
Lindsay Marie Bouchacourt ◽  
Laura Frances Bright ◽  
Gary Burl Wilcox ◽  
Michael Mackert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
One Year ◽  
The One ◽  
Negative Sentiment

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic continues to greatly impact the global community as we recently marked the one-year anniversary of the first cases of the disease. While many strides have been made in the medical community to produce several viable vaccines, much hesitancy exists within the public regarding the efficacy of the vaccines as well as their potential side effects. OBJECTIVE This study examines the public response to the COVID-19 vaccine by analyzing social media mentions of hesitancy. METHODS Brandwatch software was used to capture social mentions regarding vaccine hesitancy between September 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 before undergoing a text analytic process using SAS text-mining software. Eight unique topics were identified before being further analyzed for themes in positive and negative sentiment. RESULTS The data indicate that there is mistrust and hesitancy surrounding the vaccines; however, positive themes also emerged surrounding the sources of the information (health care professionals, doctors, and government organizations). Pfizer was found to elicit both positive and negative emotions regarding their involvement with vaccine production. Overall, the negative sentiment surrounding the vaccines tended to dominate the social media conversation. CONCLUSIONS Through the use of credible communicators, COVID-19 vaccine hesitation may be mitigated. A combination of online and offline word-of-mouth strategies are suggested to reach relevant populations of interest. Topics of personal anecdotes of safety, effectiveness and recommendations among family are suggested as communication opportunities for frontline health care workers.

A Dutchman in London: reflections of a hospital chief executive from the Netherlands in the NHS

BMJ Leader ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. leader-2021-000509
Author(s):  
Marcel Levi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Clinical Point ◽  
High Level

BackgroundThe NHS is a fascinating health care system and is enjoying a lot of support from all layers of British society. However, it is clear that the system has excellent features but also areas that can be improved.Story of selfA number of years as a chief executive in one of London’s largest hospital has brought me a wealth of impressions, experiences, and understanding about working in the NHS. Contrasting those to my previous experience as chief executive in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) provides an interesting insight.ObservationsVery strong features of the NHS are the high level of health care professionals, the focus on quality and safety, and involvement of patients and the public. However, the NHS can significantly improve by addressing the lack of clinical professionals in the lead, curtailing ever increasing bureaucracy, and reducing its peculiar preference for outsourcing even the most crucial activities to private parties. The frequent inability to swiftly and successfully complete goal-directed negotiations as well as the large but from a clinical point of view irrelevant private sector are areas of sustained bewilderment. Lastly, the drive for innovation and transformation as well as the level of biomedical research in the NHS and supported by the British universities is fascinating and outstanding.

scholarly journals Pediatric health care professionals’ vaccine knowledge, awareness and attitude: a survey within the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Del Duca ◽  
Loredana Chini ◽  
Simona Graziani ◽  
Mayla Sgrulletti ◽  
Viviana Moschese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Italian Society ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Natural Immunity ◽  
Pediatric Health ◽  
Pediatric Allergy ◽  
Pediatric Health Care ◽  
Allergy And Immunology ◽  
Family Setting

Abstract Background Physicians play a key role in driving vaccine acceptance and their recommendations are crucial to address vaccine hesitancy. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge, awareness and attitude of Italian Pediatric Health Care Professionals (pHCPs) on vaccinations. Methods An anonymous on-line questionnaire was developed within the Vaccine Committee of Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP) and spontaneously completed by 231 Pediatricians and Pediatric Nurses (PN). Results An accurate vaccine education was reported by 70% of pediatricians and 13% of PN but 11% of pediatricians versus 26% of PN consult social media instead of scientific sources for their vaccine update. The investigation on the pHCPs attitudes to vaccination in a personal and family setting highlights poor adherence to vaccinations. Only 63% of pediatricians versus 16% of PN (p < 0.0001) annually received the Flu vaccine. In their family setting 93% of pediatricians versus 51% of PN recommended all vaccinations (p < 0.0001). Anti-flu, anti-rotavirus, anti-zoster and anti-pneumococcal vaccines were not regularly recommended by all pHCPs due to doubts of uselessness (55% of pediatricians versus 40% of PN) and preference for “natural immunity” (44% of pediatricians versus 40% of PN). Conclusions Our results indicate that pHCPs’ attitude and confidence in regards to vaccines remain suboptimal. Current COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid development of vaccines could increase vaccine hesitancy. Due to the documented pHCPs’ influence in the parental decision, educational interventions are needed to improve their level of knowledge and counselling skills in order to address parental vaccine hesitancy and to maintain continuity of immunization services.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance: We Need to Start Now

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krutika Kuppalli ◽  
David M Brett-Major ◽  
Tara C Smith
Keyword(s):  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Approval Process ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions ◽  
Potential Vaccine ◽  
Health Experts

Abstract In this perspective, we discuss the importance of developing a vaccine to help curb transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The question remains: once a safe and effective vaccine is developed, will the public be willing to get it? We present information from one of the first tracking polls to assess public attitudes and perceptions towards a possible Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine that suggests public hesitancy over a potential vaccine, concern regarding accelerating clinical trials, and unease over the vaccine approval process. Public health experts, government officials, advocates, and others in the scientific community should respect the signals of hesitancy and communicate sensitivity, applying lessons not only to how we message, but also in how we build this urgently needed vaccine if we are to have successful uptake once available.

scholarly journals Inhibition of the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human cells by the FDA-approved drug chlorpromazine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Plaze ◽  
David Attali ◽  
Matthieu Prot ◽  
Anne-Cécile Petit ◽  
Michael Blatzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Antiviral Activity ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Human Cells ◽  
Clinical Routine ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Typical Antipsychotics ◽  
Urgent Action

AbstractUrgent action is needed to fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by reducing the number of infected people along with the infection contagiousness and severity. Chlorpromazine (CPZ), the prototype of typical antipsychotics from the phenothiazine group, is known to inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis and acts as an antiviral, in particular against SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV. In this study, we describe the in vitro testing of CPZ against a SARS-CoV-2 isolate in monkey and human cells. We evidenced an antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 with an IC50 of ∼10μM. Because of its high biodistribution in lung, saliva and brain, such IC50 measured in vitro may translate to CPZ dosage used in clinical routine. This extrapolation is in line with our observations of a higher prevalence of symptomatic and severe forms of COVID-19 infections among health care professionals compared to patients in psychiatric wards. These preclinical findings support the repurposing of CPZ, a largely used drug with mild side effects, in COVID-19 treatment.

scholarly journals Differences in Perceptions of Health Information Between the Public and Health Care Professionals: Nonprobability Sampling Questionnaire Survey (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anat Gesser-Edelsburg ◽  
Nour Abed Elhadi Shahbari ◽  
Ricky Cohen ◽  
Adva Mir Halavi ◽  
Rana Hijazi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
New Media ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
General Public ◽  
The Public ◽  
Search For Information

BACKGROUND In the new media age, the public searches for information both online and offline. Many studies have examined how the public reads and understands this information but very few investigate how people assess the quality of journalistic articles as opposed to information generated by health professionals. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine how public health care workers (HCWs) and the general public seek, read, and understand health information and to investigate the criteria by which they assess the quality of journalistic articles. METHODS A Web-based nonprobability sampling questionnaire survey was distributed to Israeli HCWs and members of the public via 3 social media outlets: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. A total of 979 respondents participated in the online survey via the Qualtrics XM platform. RESULTS The findings indicate that HCWs find academic articles more reliable than do members of the general public (44.4% and 28.4%, respectively, P<.001). Within each group, we found disparities between the places where people search for information and the sources they consider reliable. HCWs consider academic articles to be the most reliable, yet these are not their main information sources. In addition, HCWs often use social networks to search for information (18.2%, P<.001), despite considering them very unreliable (only 2.2% found them reliable, P<.001). The same paradoxes were found among the general public, where 37.5% (P<.001) seek information via social networks yet only 8.4% (P<.001) find them reliable. Out of 6 quality criteria, 4 were important both to HCWs and to the general public. CONCLUSIONS In the new media age where information is accessible to all, the quality of articles about health is of critical importance. It is important that the criteria examined in this research become the norm in health writing for all stakeholders who write about health, whether they are professional journalists or citizen journalists writing in the new media.

scholarly journals The role of conversation in coping with the psychosocial situation of dealing with cancer

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Solveig Nelly Sægrov
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Communication Barriers ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Psychosocial Situation ◽  
Academic Search ◽  
Surprising Finding

Objective: In this Scoping study, the purpose is to examine and describe what the research literature reports on the use of professional conversation as a tool for helping people with cancer cope with the psychosocial situation. The cancer patient may experience several side effects and symptoms related to treatment and illness, and may have a need for more support through professional conversation.Methods: Scoping study with searches in the following databases: PubMed, Cinahl, Psyclfo, Academic Search premier, Cochrane and Ovid.Results: Twenty-nine studies were examined in the initial search, and twenty-four of them were included. Six examined the cancer patient's needs for conversation, thirteen nurses’ qualifications, and five whether conversation provides support. One factor that clearly emerges from the findings of several of the studies is that many nurses experience communication barriers in their encounters with cancer patients.Conclusions: The findings indicated a strong need for conversation. One surprising finding was the communication barriers experienced by nurses/health care professionals.

Appropriate Technology in Primary Health Care: Evolution and Meaning of WHO's Concept

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Maintenance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Careful Scrutiny ◽  
The World ◽  
Definition Of

This article examines the meaning of appropriate technology in the World Health Organization's comprehensive definition of primary care. The author concludes that broad-ranging aspects of health maintenance, such as public health, personal lifestyles, and scientific research, as well as traditional diagnostic and therapeutic practices, need to be subjected to clear and careful scrutiny. It is vital that the results of these technology assessment studies be disseminated as widely as possible to both health care professionals and the public.

scholarly journals The Dimensions of Tokenism in Patient and Family Engagement: A Concept Analysis of the Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1610-1620
Author(s):  
Umair Majid
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
International Association ◽  
Concept Analysis ◽  
Service Planning ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Health Service Planning ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Goals

Patient engagement (PE) has become embedded in discussions about health service planning and quality improvement, and the goal has been to find ways to observe the potential beneficial outcomes associated with PE. Patients and health care professionals use various terms to depict PE, for example, partnership and collaboration. Similarly, tokenism is consistently used to describe PE that has gone wrong. There is a lack of clarity, however, on the meanings and implications of tokenism on PE activities. The objective of this concept analysis was to examine the peer-reviewed and gray literature that has discussed tokenism to identify how we currently understand and use the concept. This review discusses 4 dimensions of tokenism: unequal power, limited impact, ulterior motives, and opposite of meaningful PE. These dimensions explicate the different components, meanings, and implications of tokenism in PE practice. The findings of this review emphasize how tokenism is primarily perceived as negative by supporters of PE, but this attribution depends on patients’ preferences for engagement. In addition, this review compares the dimensions of tokenism with the levels of engagement in the International Association of the Public Participation spectrum. This review suggests that there are 2 gradations of tokenism; while tokenism represents unequal power relationships in favor of health care professionals, this may lead to either limited or no meaningful change or change that is primarily aligned with the personal and professional goals of clinicians, managers, and decision-makers.

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