Patient-Centered Practical Vaccine Talk For Busy Clinicians

Low uptake of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines is a major public health threat. An estimated 234,000 deaths due to COVID-19 could have been prevented between June 2021 and March 2022 through vaccination. Yet, only 20% of US adults are up to date on COVID-19 vaccination, despite widespread vaccine availability, and evidence of vaccine effectiveness at preventing hospitalization or death. Similarly, flu shots prevented an estimated 105,000 hospitalizations and 6,300 deaths during the 2019-2020 season alone, but only 50% of adults received a flu shot in the 2020-2021 influenza season, and these rates have been declining in the years since. Healthcare provider (HCP) recommendations increase uptake of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. Interventions that leverage the central role of HCPs in recommending vaccination are a promising means of increasing vaccination coverage. Yet many PCPs are unsure how to communicate effectively with patients who decline vaccination, indicating a need for strategies and training in how to effectively communicate with patients about the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines. The goal of this study is to assess the effect of an educational intervention for primary care providers (PCPs) on influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake among their adult patients through a pragmatic, cluster randomized trial in primary care clinics. Our hypothesis is that training PCPs in evidence-based communication strategies (e.g., making a presumptive recommendation, responding with elements of MI) via the PCP-VAX intervention will be superior to usual care with regards to influenza and COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The trial will be conducted among primary care clinics from 3 health systems in central Massachusetts, including community primary care practices, academic primary care practices, and Federally Qualified Health Centers.