Primary care physicians' strategies for addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the strategies that primary care physicians use to address patient COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. METHOD: We administered an online survey to 625 primary care physicians from May 14 to May 25, 2021, to assess the messages that primary care physicians use to encourage hesitant patients to get vaccinated against COVID-19.589 physicians from the total pool of 625 provided open-ended responses. We conducted thematic content analysis on the responses based on previous research and themes identified within the data. SETTING: The survey was administered online using the survey research firm Dynata. RESULTS: Eleven primary themes emerged from our analysis, which included, physicians addressing specific concerns about vaccine safety (including costs versus benefits), physicians helping patients understand what it means to remain unvaccinated, or whether physicians try to connect emotionally through the use of guilt, or personal experience, whether physicians use derisive language to communicate with unvaccinated patients. In addition, a small number of physicians indicated they would not attempt to persuade someone who is vaccine hesitant. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that while some of the physicians used different strategies to address vaccine hesitancy, some of the physicians used harsh language or did not make any effort to reduce COVID-19 related vaccine hesitancy among their patients. Focused advocacy and training are needed to increase physician engagement in vaccine-related dialogues with their patients. Such efforts will ensure that critical opportunities for patient education and awareness-building are not missed and ensure high levels of vaccination uptake.

Physician Trust in the News Media and Attitudes toward COVID-19.

CONTEXT: Previous research has established the importance of primary care physicians in communicating public health directives. The implicit assumption is that, because of their expertise, doctors provide accurate and up-to-date information to their patients independent of partisan affiliation or media trust. METHODS: The authors conducted an online survey of 625 primary care physicians and used the results to test (1) whether physician trust in media outlets is consistent with their political partisanship, and (2) whether trust in media outlets influences (a) personal concern that someone in their family will get sick, (b) perceptions about the seriousness of the pandemic as portrayed in the media, and (c) trust in federal government agencies and scientists. FINDINGS: Physicians are better positioned to critically evaluate health-related news, but they are subject to the same biases that influence public opinion. Physicians' partisan commitments influence media trust, and media trust influences concern that a family member will get sick, perceptions regarding the seriousness of the pandemic, and trust in federal government agencies and scientists. CONCLUSIONS: Physician trust in specific media outlets shapes their understanding of the pandemic, and-to the extent that they trust conservative media outlets-it may limit their effectiveness as health policy messengers.

The Changing Nature of Telehealth Use by Primary Care Physicians in the United States.

INTRODUCTION: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth utilization was growing slowly and steadily, although differentially across medical specialties in the United States. The pandemic dramatically expanded physician use of telehealth, but our understanding of how much telehealth use has changed in primary care in the United States, the correlates of physician telehealth uptake, and the frequency with which primary care physicians intend to use telehealth after the pandemic are unknown. This paper is designed to assess these important questions. METHODS: Using data from an original national survey of 625 primary care physicians conducted from May 14 to May 25, 2021, we investigate the frequency of physician telehealth use before and during the pandemic and intended use after the pandemic. We also assess the correlates of changes in telehealth use by physicians, comparing telehealth use before the pandemic to use during and after the pandemic. RESULTS: The proportion of primary care physicians using telehealth often, jumped from 5.3% (95% CI 3.5, 7.0) before the pandemic to 46.2% (95% CI 42.3, 50.2) during the pandemic. More importantly, over 70% of physicians intended to use telehealth at least occasionally after the pandemic compared to just 18.7% before, with younger physicians, physicians without telehealth training in medical school, and Asian physicians most likely to increase their telehealth use long-term. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred expansion in telehealth use by primary care physicians that will continue to shape care delivery well beyond the pandemic. Policy change could be needed to facilitate this growth of telehealth long-term.

Imperfect messengers? An analysis of vaccine confidence among primary care physicians.

BACKGROUND: Growing narratives emphasize using primary care physicians as leaders in efforts to promote COVID-19 vaccination among the vaccine hesitant. Critically however, little is known about vaccine confidence among primary care physicians themselves. The objective of this study was to assess both physician confidence that in general, vaccines are safe, effective, and important, as well as physician confidence in each COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. METHODS: We rely on data from a national survey of primary care physicians conducted from May 14-May 25, 2021. We assess the influence of demographic, social, and political factors on physician beliefs that in general, vaccines are safe, effective, and important, as well as physician confidence in the safety of the Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. RESULTS: 10.1% of primary care physicians do not agree that, in general, vaccines are safe, 9.3% do not agree they are effective, and 8.3% do not agree they are important. While 68.7% of physicians were 'very confident' in the safety of the Moderna vaccine and 72.7% were 'very confident' in the safety of the Pfizer vaccine, only 32.1% of physicians were 'very confident' in the safety of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSION: A troubling proportion of primary care physicians lack high levels of vaccine confidence. These physicians may not be well positioned to actively promote COVID-19 vaccination even as political and media narratives push physicians to lead this effort. Interventions aimed at improving vaccine confidence among some physicians may be needed so that all physicians can fulfill needed roles as trusted vaccine communicators.