Imperfect messengers? An analysis of vaccine confidence among primary care physicians.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey
PubMed 35315324 · doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.03.025
What was done
A national cross-sectional survey of United States primary care physicians was conducted between May 14 and May 25, 2021. The study evaluated physician confidence regarding whether vaccines in general are safe, effective, and important, as well as specific confidence in the safety of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, examining demographic, social, and political correlates.
What was found
Among surveyed primary care physicians, 10.1% did not agree that vaccines in general are safe, 9.3% did not agree they are effective, and 8.3% did not agree they are important. Regarding specific COVID-19 vaccines, 68.7% reported being 'very confident' in the safety of Moderna, 72.7% were 'very confident' in Pfizer, and 32.1% were 'very confident' in Johnson & Johnson.
Why it matters
Public health messaging heavily relies on primary care physicians as trusted advocates for vaccination, but a non-trivial minority harbor hesitancy toward general vaccines and specific COVID-19 vaccine formulations.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size (n), response rate, sampling frame, or response weighting. The findings are based on self-reported survey data from a narrow time window in May 2021 and do not assess actual clinical counseling behaviors or patient outcomes.
Cited by
- supports Studies show that between 5% and 10% of doctors do not fully believe that vaccines are safe.