Portrait of COVID-19 Outbreaks in the Workplaces of the Monteregie Region.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the studies are to describe COVID-19 outbreaks in the workplaces of the Monteregie Region, Quebec, Canada, and to evaluate potential risk factors for identifying at least one COVID-19 outbreak in these workplaces. METHODS: An ecological retrospective cohort study was conducted using deidentified databases of COVID-19 outbreaks that occurred in workplaces from February 27, 2020, to June 30, 2021. RESULTS: Among 30,489 workplaces studied, 897 workplaces with at least one COVID-19 outbreak were identified. These outbreaks were associated with a sizeable number of workers in the workplace (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.78; 95% CI: 5.43-8.47), the presence of temporary foreign workers (aOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.53-3.33), contacts with clients (aOR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.68-2.21), and being localized in the Montreal Metropolitan Area (aOR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.09-1.45). CONCLUSIONS: These results enable the identification of potential risk factors for COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces, with the aim of targeting workplaces where infection control and prevention measures might be enhanced or adapted to improve workers' health.

Do intentions lead to action? Results of a longitudinal study assessing determinants of Tdap vaccine uptake during pregnancy in Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: In Canada, vaccination against pertussis (Tdap) during pregnancy has been recommended since 2018, with suboptimal uptake. We aimed to assess the determinants of intention and uptake of Tdap vaccine among pregnant women in Quebec. METHODS: Participants (< 21 weeks of pregnancy) were recruited in four Quebec regions. Two online surveys were administered during pregnancy (< 21 weeks and > 35 weeks). One measured vaccination intention and the other assessed the actual decision. Questionnaires were informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). We used logistic multivariate analysis to identify determinants of Tdap vaccination uptake during pregnancy using responses to both questionnaires. RESULTS: A total of 741 women answered the first survey and 568 (76.7%), the second survey. In the first survey most participants intended to receive the Tdap vaccine during their pregnancy (76.3%) and in the second survey, 82.4% reported having been vaccinated against Tdap during their pregnancy. In multivariate analysis, the main determinants of vaccine uptake were: a recommendation from a healthcare provider (OR = 7.6), vaccine intention (OR = 6.12), social norms (or thinking that most pregnant women will be vaccinated (OR = 3.81), recruitment site (OR = 3.61 for General Family Medicine unit) perceived behavioral control (or low perceived barriers to access vaccination services, (OR = 2.32) and anticipated feeling of guilt if not vaccinated (OR = 2.13). Safety concerns were the main reason for not intending or not receiving the vaccine during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: We observed high vaccine acceptance and uptake of pertussis vaccine in pregnancy. The core components of the TPB (intention, social norms and perceived behavioral control) were all predictors of vaccine uptake, but our multivariate analysis also showed that other determinants were influential: being sufficiently informed about Tdap vaccination, not having vaccine safety concerns, and anticipated regret if unvaccinated. To ensure high vaccine acceptance and uptake in pregnancy, strong recommendations by trusted healthcare providers and ease of access to vaccination services remain instrumental.

Coverage for pertussis vaccination during pregnancy with 4 models of vaccine delivery: a quasiexperimental, multicentre observational study.

BACKGROUND: Vaccination of pregnant people with a vaccine containing acellular pertussis (tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis [Tdap]) has been recommended in Canada since 2018, and the evaluation of delivery models for efficient maternal Tdap administration is a priority for the Quebec Ministry of Health. We implemented 3 vaccine delivery models, in addition to the existing standard of practice model, and compared the vaccine coverage achieved by the 4 models in Quebec. METHODS: In this quasiexperimental, multicentre observational study, we recruited pregnant people at less than 21 weeks' gestation in 4 Quebec regions from April to October 2019. We compared 4 vaccine delivery models: local community service centres (centre local de services communautaires [CLSCs], baseline), family medicine groups (FMGs), obstetrics clinic and the oral glucose challenge test (OGCT). In addition to the CLSCs, 3 FMGs, 1 obstetric clinic and a hospital-based OGCT screening program participated. We determined vaccination status from a self-reported questionnaire, the Quebec Immunization Registry or medical charts. We compared model-specific (for participants recruited to a model and subsequently vaccinated within that model) and overall vaccine coverage (considering all vaccine delivery pathways) and used logistic regression to adjust for sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Overall, 946 of 1000 recruited pregnant people were eligible for analyses. Vaccination via the FMGs achieved the highest model-specific vaccine coverage (67.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 60.5%-74.4%), but coverage was not significantly different from the CLSCs (63.8%, 95% CI 57.6%-69.6%). For overall vaccine coverage, the FMG (86.5%, 95% CI 80.6%-90.9%) and obstetrics models (85.9%, 95% CI 80.9%-89.7%) achieved significantly higher vaccine coverage than the CLSCs (66.3%, 95% CI 60.1%-71.9%). The OGCT model did not improve overall vaccine coverage (61.8%, 95% CI 56.1%-67.2%). INTERPRETATION: Compared with CLSCs, overall vaccine coverage was higher when Tdap was offered in FMGs or an obstetrics clinic providing prenatal care. Health professionals involved in pregnancy follow-up recommending and offering the vaccine may be a key factor in optimizing vaccine coverage.

Participation in an action research project on vaccine services for children: relationship with vaccine delays.

Multicomponent interventions are effective in improving vaccine coverage. However, few studies have assessed their effect on timely vaccination. The aim of this study was to compare the proportion of children with vaccine delays at 2- and 12-month visits according to whether or not health centers have participated in an action research project on the organization of vaccination services for 0-5-year-olds. The action research project included a multicomponent intervention and was conducted between 2011 and 2015 in Quebec, Canada. An ecological before/after design was used for this analysis. A total of 264,579 DTaP-IPV-Hib (2-month visits) and 240,541 Men-C-C (12-month visits) vaccine doses were administered during 2011-2012 to 2014-2015 fiscal years, including 19% in 14 participating health centers and the remaining in 78 nonparticipating centers. Vaccine delays demonstrated a more pronounced decreasing trend in participating versus nonparticipating health centers (p < .0001 at 2 and 12 months). Between 2011-2012 and 2014-2015, participating centers managed to eliminate 35% of their vaccine delays at 2-month visits and 33% at 12-month visits, whereas nonparticipating centers eliminated 19% of delays at both visits. Our results are consistent with a positive impact of the multicomponent intervention, despite the fact that it had not specifically aimed at decreasing vaccine delays.

Vaccination during pregnancy: Canadian maternity care providers' opinions and practices.

A number of countries have implemented vaccination in pregnancy as a strategy to reduce the burden of influenza and pertussis. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of Canadian maternity care providers in administration of vaccines to their pregnant patients. A cross-sectional web-based survey was sent to family physicians, obstetricians-gynecologists, midwives, pharmacists, and nurses. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine variables independently associated with offering vaccination services in pregnancy in providers' practice. A total of 1,135 participants participated. Overall, 64% (n = 724) of the participants reported offering vaccines in their practice and 56% (n = 632) reported offering vaccines to pregnant patients. The main reasons reported for not offering vaccination services in pregnancy were the belief that vaccination was outside of the scope of practice; logistical issues around access to vaccines; or lack of staff to administer vaccines. In multivariable analysis, the main factors associated with vaccination of pregnant patients in practices where vaccination services were offered were: providers' confidence in counseling pregnant patients about vaccines, seeing fewer than 11 pregnant patients on average each week, and being a nurse or a family physician. Although the majority of participants expressed strong support for vaccination during pregnancy, half were not offering vaccination services in their practice. Many were not equipped to offer vaccines in their practice or felt that it was not their role to do so. To enhance vaccine acceptance and uptake in pregnancy, it will be important to address the logistical barriers identified in this study.

Children vaccination coverage surveys: Impact of multiple sources of information and multiple contact attempts.

BACKGROUND: Monitoring vaccination coverage is an essential component of vaccination program evaluation. In Québec (Canada), children vaccination coverage surveys are conducted every two years since 2006. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of supplementing data based on vaccination booklets with data from vaccine providers, on the final estimated vaccination coverage and to compare vaccination coverage between respondents to each survey contact attempt. METHODS: Data from six cross-sectional surveys were used, which included 3508 children aged 2 years. Parents were invited to transcribe the information available in their child's vaccination booklet on the questionnaire received by mail. The survey included a maximum of 4 contact attempts to obtain a response. Data were completed among vaccine providers identified by parents. The main outcome was a complete vaccination status by 24 months of age. RESULTS: The addition of data from vaccine providers to those present in vaccination booklets increased the proportion of children fully vaccinated from 5.5% to 23.7% depending on the survey year. The proportion of children fully vaccinated by 24 months of age estimated among respondents to contact 1 was only 2.1% higher than the estimates among all respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Without validation among vaccine providers for children with missing doses according to vaccination booklets, results underestimated vaccination coverage in the target population. Conducting multiple contact attempts increased the response rate but had limited impact on the validity of estimates. It would be useful in future surveys to present the coverage obtain from respondents to each contact attempt.

Determinants of vaccine hesitancy in Quebec: a large population-based survey.

Objectives: Vaccine hesitancy is a global phenomenon that needs to be measured and addressed. This study aimed to identify the determinants of vaccine hesitancy among a large regional population.Methods: A structured telephone survey was administered to a random digit sample in Quebec's Eastern Townships region. In addition to socioeconomic information, respondents were asked questions on several health topics such as knowledge and beliefs about immunization, medical consultations, health status, and life habits. Data were weighted according to age, sex, and territories. Statistically significant variables in the univariate analysis were introduced into a multivariate logistic regression model to determine independent factors for vaccine hesitancy (adjusted odds ratios [aOR] and 95% confidence intervals).Results: A total of 8,737 interviews were conducted (participation rate 48.3%). Among all respondents, 32.2% were vaccine-hesitant. Several beliefs were significantly associated with vaccine hesitancy: belief that children receive too many vaccines (aOR = 2.72; 2.32-3.18), belief that a healthy lifestyle can eliminate the need for vaccination (aOR = 2.48; 2.09-2.93), and belief that the use of alternative medicine practices can eliminate the need for vaccination (aOR = 1.39; 1.16-1.68). Other determinants associated with vaccine hesitancy were having consulted a massage therapist (aOR = 2.34; 1.46-3.75), not being vaccinated against influenza (aOR = 1.80; 1.49-2.16), having a low (<$30,000) (aOR = 1.58; 1.24-2.02) or moderate ($30,000-$79,000) (aOR = 1.37; 1.12-1.67) household income, distrust in public health authorities (aOR = 1.40; 1.21-1.63), perceived insufficient knowledge about immunization (aOR = 1.26; 1.04-1.51), and smoking (aOR = 1.22; 1.01-1.47).Conclusions: Many determinants are related to vaccine hesitancy. These determinants should be taken into account when health professionals engage with vaccine-hesitant individuals.

Challenges and opportunities of school-based HPV vaccination in Canada.

Primary prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) through vaccination is a high priority in Canada's cancer prevention efforts. All Canadian provinces and territories have introduced publicly funded, school-based vaccination programs against HPV, but vaccine uptake remains suboptimal in some jurisdictions. We conducted a descriptive qualitative study to better understand the determinants of low HPV vaccine uptake and identify strategies to enhance vaccine acceptance using the socio-ecological model. In Quebec, interviews and focus groups were held in 2015-2016 with 70 key informants including immunization managers, school nurses, school principals, teachers and parents of Grade 4 students (9 years of age). Our findings showed that HPV vaccine uptake was dependent on many interrelated factors at the individual and interpersonal level (e.g. knowledge and attitudes of the different players involved in the vaccination system), at the community level (e.g. social group values and norms, media coverage around the HPV vaccine), at the organizational level (e.g. allocated resources, information provision, consent process, immunization setting and environment) and at the policy level (e.g. changes in provincial HPV vaccine program). We are using the data collection and interpretation tools and approaches developed by our team and used in Quebec to expand our study to four other provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia). We are conducting environmental scans, semi-structured interviews and a survey to better understand the determinants of low HPV vaccine uptake and identify strategies to enhance vaccine acceptance. Having an in-depth understanding of the determinants of HPV vaccination in school settings is critical in order to identify root causes of the suboptimal vaccine uptake and to develop tailored interventions to address these on both supply- and demand-side issues.

Vaccination Against Influenza in Pregnancy: A Survey of Canadian Maternity Care Providers.

OBJECTIVE: Influenza vaccine uptake among Canadian pregnant individuals is suboptimal. Failure to incorporate vaccination into routine prenatal care and a lack of recommendations from healthcare providers are recognized as barriers to vaccination. The aim of this study was to assess Canadian maternity care providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding influenza vaccination in pregnancy. METHODS: A cross-sectional Web-based questionnaire was sent during July and August 2017 to family physicians, obstetricians-gynaecologists, midwives, pharmacists, and nurses who care for pregnant individuals. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine variables independently associated with providers' recommendation of the influenza vaccine in pregnancy. RESULTS: The analysis included 1061 providers. Most participants (85%) reported being vaccinated against influenza themselves, and 72% reported recommending the influenza vaccine to all of their pregnant patients during the previous influenza season. Participants' attitudes regarding influenza vaccination during pregnancy were generally positive: 64% strongly agreed that pregnant individuals are at an increased risk of complications from influenza, and 69% strongly agreed that it is safe to vaccinate pregnant individuals against influenza. The main determinants of participants' recommendations for influenza vaccination to all pregnant patients were following official recommendations on influenza vaccination, discussing vaccines with most or all pregnant individuals seen in their practice, and being vaccinated themselves during the previous influenza season. CONCLUSION: Enhancing influenza vaccine uptake in pregnancy is largely dependent on maternity care providers' recommendations. This study provides valuable insight on providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Primary health care organizational characteristics associated with better accessibility: data from the QUALICO-PC survey in Quebec.

BACKGROUND: First-contact accessibility remains an important problem in Canada, with this indicator staying the worst of all Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In the province of Quebec, a number of primary healthcare (PHC) organizations have adopted measures to improve access (e.g. advance access scheduling, expanded nursing role, electronic medical record, financial incentives). The impact of those changes is unknown. The goal of this study is to assess which PHC organizations' characteristics are associated with improved first-contact accessibility. METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the Quebec survey, conducted as part of the QUALICO-PC study on primary care performance. QUALICO-PC is a cross-sectional study to assess quality, costs and equity in PHC across 35 countries and jurisdictions. Organizational characteristics were measured from the family practitioners' questionnaire. First-contact accessibility was measured from the patient questionnaire filled by patients who received care in the participating PHC organizations. Multi-level logistic regression was used to assess the association of organizational characteristics as predictors of patient-reported accessibility. RESULTS: A total of 218 family practitioners participated in the study with 1798 of their patients. PHC organizations characteristics associated with increased first-contact accessibility included the possibility to have a same-day appointment or to walk in the clinic without an appointment, higher number of physicians per clinic and higher number of hours worked by the family physician. Electronic medical record and expanded nursing role were not associated with increased accessibility. CONCLUSIONS: Same-day access and higher family physician working hours are associated with improved patient-reported accessibility. Other PHC organizations characteristics targeted by recent reforms were not associated with improved accessibility.

Impact of vaccine delays at the 2, 4, 6 and 12 month visits on incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age in Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Timeliness in the administration of recommended vaccines is often evaluated using vaccine delays and provides more information regarding the susceptibility of children to vaccine-preventable diseases compared with vaccine coverage at a given age. The importance of on-time administration of vaccines scheduled at the first visit is well documented, but data are scarce about the impact of vaccine delays at other visits on vaccination status by 24 months of age. Using vaccine delays for the first three doses of DTaP-containing vaccines and for the first dose of measles-containing vaccines as markers of timeliness at the 2, 4, 6 and 12 month visits, we estimated the proportion of incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age attributable to a vaccine delay at each of these visits. METHODS: We used the data from six cross-sectional coverage surveys conducted in the Province of Quebec from 2006 to 2016 which included 7183 children randomly selected from the universal health insurance database. A vaccine dose was considered delayed if received 30 days or more after the recommended age. The impact of new vaccine delays at each visit on incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age was estimated with the attributable risk in the population. RESULTS: The proportion of children with vaccine delay was 5.4% at 2 months, 13.3% at 4 months, 23.1% at 6 months and 23.6% at 12 months. Overall, 72.5% of all 2-year-old children with an incomplete status by 24 months were attributable with a vaccine delay, of which 16.1% were attributable with a first vaccine delay at 2 months, 10.6% at 4 months, 14.0% at 6 months and 31.8% at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: While great emphasis has been put on vaccine delays at the first vaccination visit, the prevalence of vaccine delays was greater with later visits and most children with an incomplete vaccination status by 24 months had a vaccine delay occurring during these later visits. Interventions to improve timeliness should address vaccine delays at each visit and not only focus on the first visit.

Impact of the addition of new vaccines in the early childhood schedule on vaccine coverage by 24 months of age from 2006 to 2016 in Quebec, Canada.

CONTEXT: Between 2004 and 2016, in the province of Quebec (Canada), 4 new antigens were added in the early childhood vaccine schedule from birth to 18 months, increasing the number of injections or doses needed from 7 to 12. These additions may have decreased the proportion of children who had received all recommended vaccines. OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of the introduction of new vaccines to the childhood schedule on the 24-month vaccine coverage from 2006 to 2016 and identify factors associated with incomplete vaccination status by 24 months of age. METHODS: We used the data from six cross-sectional vaccine coverage surveys conducted every two years which included a total of 3515 children aged 2 years old and randomly selected from the Quebec public health insurance database. Factors associated with an incomplete vaccine status by 24 months were identified with multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Despite the addition of 4 new vaccine antigens since 2004, the vaccine coverage remained high from 2006 (82.4%) through 2016 (88.3%) for vaccines present in the schedule since 2006. In 2016, vaccine coverage was 78.2% for all vaccines included in the schedule. The vaccine coverage of new vaccines increases rapidly within 2 years of their introduction. For both new and older vaccines, incomplete vaccine status by 24 months of age is associated with a delay of 30 days or more in receiving the vaccines scheduled at 2 and 12 months of age. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing to 12 the number of doses in the recommended schedule has slightly reduced the vaccine coverage by 24 months of age and the vaccine coverage of vaccines already in the schedule remained stable over the years. Future additions to the vaccine schedule may not be similarly accepted by the population and this will require continuing the monitoring of vaccine coverage.

Determinants of influenza vaccination among a large adult population in Quebec.

OBJECTIVES: Very low uptake has been noted for influenza vaccination in the province of Quebec. This study aimed to identify the determinants of influenza vaccination among a large regional population. METHODS: A telephone survey was administered to a random digit sample in the Eastern Townships region (Quebec, Canada). Respondents were asked questions on several health topics such as perceived knowledge and beliefs about influenza immunization, medical consultations, perceived health status and life habits. Significant variables in the univariate analysis were introduced into a multivariate logistic regression model to determine independent factors for having received the influenza vaccine (aOR and 95% CI) among adults aged ≥60 years and younger adults with ≥1 chronic condition. RESULTS: A total of 4,620 interviews were analyzed. Among the target groups, 55.4% of adults aged ≥60 and 32.2% of adults aged 18-59 with at least one chronic disease had received the influenza vaccine during the 2013-2014 season. Several determinants were significantly associated with influenza vaccination in both groups such as having received a recommendation from a healthcare professional. Among adults aged ≥60, not having consulted a chiropractor over the last 12 months (aOR = 2.37; 1.09-5.19), non-smokers (aOR = 1.78; 1.22-2.59) and self-perceived poor health status (aOR = 1.45; 1.01-2.06) were significantly linked to flu vaccination. In the younger group, influenza vaccination was independently associated to low alcohol consumption (aOR = 2.14; 1.13-4.05) and being overweight (aOR = 1.63; 1.12-2.38). CONCLUSIONS: Many determinants influence the decision to get vaccinated against influenza. Specific messages should be tailored for high-risk groups to effectively increase influenza vaccine coverage.

Promoting advance care planning among community-based older adults: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test an intervention designed to motivate older adults in documenting their healthcare preferences in advance, and to guide proxies in making hypothetical decisions that match those of the older adult. METHODS: The trial involved 235 older adults, of which half were assisted in communicating their wishes to their proxy. Hypothetical vignettes were used at baseline and twice after the intervention to elicit older adults' preferences and assess their proxy's ability to predict them. RESULTS: By the end of the trial, 80% of older adults allocated to the experimental group had documented their wishes. Changes over time in mean accuracy scores did not differ between groups for any hypothetical situations, except when limiting the sample to dyads that were highly discordant at baseline. CONCLUSION: The intervention motivated a large proportion of older adults to express their preferences but had little effect on proxies' ability to predict them. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Educational tools developed for this study will assist healthcare providers in helping older adults to record their wishes in advance. Clients must be informed of the challenge of making substitute decisions and of the need to discuss the amount of leeway the proxy should have in interpreting expressed wishes.

Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy in Canada: Results of a Consultation Study by the Canadian Immunization Research Network.

"Vaccine hesitancy" is a concept now frequently used in vaccination discourse. The increased popularity of this concept in both academic and public health circles is challenging previously held perspectives that individual vaccination attitudes and behaviours are a simple dichotomy of accept or reject. A consultation study was designed to assess the opinions of experts and health professionals concerning the definition, scope, and causes of vaccine hesitancy in Canada. We sent online surveys to two panels (1- vaccination experts and 2- front-line vaccine providers). Two questionnaires were completed by each panel, with data from the first questionnaire informing the development of questions for the second. Our participants defined vaccine hesitancy as an attitude (doubts, concerns) as well as a behaviour (refusing some / many vaccines, delaying vaccination). Our findings also indicate that both vaccine experts and front-line vaccine providers have the perception that vaccine rates have been declining and consider vaccine hesitancy an important issue to address in Canada. Diffusion of negative information online and lack of knowledge about vaccines were identified as the key causes of vaccine hesitancy by the participants. A common understanding of vaccine hesitancy among researchers, public health experts, policymakers and health care providers will better guide interventions that can more effectively address vaccine hesitancy within Canada.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of antiviral treatment in the management of seasonal influenza A: point-of-care rapid test versus clinical judgment.

BACKGROUND: A point-of-care rapid test (POCRT) may help early and targeted use of antiviral drugs for the management of influenza A infection. OBJECTIVE: (i) To determine whether antiviral treatment based on a POCRT for influenza A is cost-effective and, (ii) to determine the thresholds of key test parameters (sensitivity, specificity and cost) at which a POCRT based-strategy appears to be cost effective. METHODS: An hybrid « susceptible, infected, recovered (SIR) ¼ compartmental transmission and Markov decision analytic model was used to simulate the cost-effectiveness of antiviral treatment based on a POCRT for influenza A in the social perspective. Data input parameters used were retrieved from peer-review published studies and government databases. The outcome considered was the incremental cost per life-year saved for one seasonal influenza season. RESULTS: In the base-case analysis, the antiviral treatment based on POCRT saves 2 lives/100,000 person-years and costs $7600 less than the empirical antiviral treatment based on clinical judgment alone, which demonstrates that the POCRT-based strategy is dominant. In one and two way-sensitivity analyses, results were sensitive to the POCRT accuracy and cost, to the vaccination coverage as well as to the prevalence of influenza A. In probabilistic sensitivity analyses, the POCRT strategy is cost-effective in 66% of cases, for a commonly accepted threshold of $50,000 per life-year saved. CONCLUSION: The influenza antiviral treatment based on POCRT could be cost-effective in specific conditions of performance, price and disease prevalence.

"Nature Does Things Well, Why Should We Interfere?": Vaccine Hesitancy Among Mothers.

Parents' decision to use vaccination services is complex and multi-factorial. Of particular interest are "vaccine-hesitant" parents who are in the middle of the continuum between vaccine acceptance and refusal. The objective of this qualitative longitudinal study was to better understand why mothers choose to vaccinate-or not-their newborns. Fifty-six pregnant mothers living in different areas of Quebec (Canada) were interviewed. These interviews gathered information on mothers' views about health and vaccination. Almost half of the mothers were categorized as vaccine-hesitant. A second interview was conducted with these mothers 3 to 11 months after birth to look at their actual decision and behavior concerning vaccination. Our results show the heterogeneity of factors influencing vaccine decision making. Although the majority of vaccine-hesitant mothers finally chose to follow the recommended vaccine schedule for their child, they were still ambivalent and they continued to question their decision.

The prevention and management of chronic disease in primary care: recommendations from a knowledge translation meeting.

BACKGROUND: Seven chronic disease prevention and management programs were implemented across Quebec with funding support from a provincial-private industry funding initiative. Given the complexity of implementing integrated primary care chronic disease management programs, a knowledge transfer meeting was held to share experiences across programs and synthesize common challenges and success factors for implementation. METHODS: The knowledge translation meeting was held in February 2014 in Montreal, Canada. Seventy-five participants consisting of 15 clinicians, 14 researchers, 31 knowledge users, and 15 representatives from the funding agencies were broken up into groups of 10 or 11 and conducted a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis on either the implementation or the evaluation of these chronic disease management programs. Results were reported back to the larger group during a plenary and recorded. Audiotapes were transcribed and summarized using pragmatic thematic analysis. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Strengths to leverage for the implementation of the seven programs include: (1) synergy between clinical and research teams; (2) stakeholders working together; (3) motivation of clinicians; and (4) the fact that the programs are evidence-based. Weaknesses to address include: (1) insufficient resources; (2) organizational change within the clinical sites; (3) lack of referrals from primary care physicians; and (4) lack of access to programs. Strengths to leverage for the evaluation of these programs include: (1) engagement of stakeholders and (2) sharing of knowledge between clinical sites. Weaknesses to address include: (1) lack of referrals; (2) difficulties with data collection; and (3) difficulties in identifying indicators and control groups. Opportunities for both themes include: (1) fostering new and existing partnerships and stakeholder relations; (2) seizing funding opportunities; (3) knowledge transfer; (4) supporting the transformation of professional roles; (5) expand the use of health information technology; and (6) conduct cost evaluations. Fifteen recommendations related to mobilisation of primary care physicians, support for the transformation of professional roles, and strategies aimed at facilitating the implementation and evaluation of chronic disease management programs were formulated based on the discussions at this knowledge translation event. CONCLUSION: The results from this knowledge translation day will help inform the sustainability of these seven chronic disease management programs in Quebec and the implementation and evaluation of similar programs elsewhere.