ABSTRACT

Although there is a wide variety of scientific evidence that demonstrates the benefits of vaccination on a multitude of diseases, vaccination rates remain low while misperceptions about vaccines are on the rise. The primary objective of the present study is to examine the role of doctor–patient communication and vaccination. We test the impact of doctor–patient communication on trust in doctors’ vaccine recommendations as a mediator, to understand the mechanisms leading to positive vaccination attitudes, and ultimately leading to actual H1N1 vaccination behavior. We use data from a nationally representative U.S. sample from one of the Multimedia Audience Research Systems (MARS) data sets collected by Kantar Media. Our results demonstrate the crucial role of doctor–patient communication in building patients’ trust in doctors, which in turn positively impact vaccination attitudes and H1N1 vaccination behavior. Unlike other preventive health measures, getting vaccines after a pandemic is a critical decision because these vaccines are previously unknown. Our finding implies that verified communication from the physician’s office may be one of the effective strategies during or after a pandemic. Our findings have implications for public health organizations to incorporate effective vaccination communication and could have critical implications for the COVID-19 vaccination.

摘要

尽管有各种各样的科学证据证明了疫苗接种对多种疾病的益处，但疫苗接种率仍然很低，而对疫苗的误解却在上升。本研究的主要目的是检验医患沟通和疫苗接种的作用。我们测试了医患沟通作为中介对医生疫苗建议信任的影响，以了解导致积极疫苗接种态度并最终导致实际 H1N1 疫苗接种行为的机制。我们使用来自 Kantar Media 收集的多媒体受众研究系统 (MARS) 数据集之一的具有全国代表性的美国样本的数据。我们的研究结果证明了医患沟通在建立患者对医生的信任方面的关键作用，这反过来又对疫苗接种态度和 H1N1 疫苗接种行为产生积极影响。与其他预防性健康措施不同，在大流行后接种疫苗是一项关键决定，因为这些疫苗以前是未知的。我们的发现意味着，来自医生办公室的经过验证的沟通可能是大流行期间或之后的有效策略之一。我们的研究结果对公共卫生组织进行有效的疫苗接种沟通具有重要意义，并可能对 COVID-19 疫苗接种产生重大影响。我们的发现意味着，来自医生办公室的经过验证的沟通可能是大流行期间或之后的有效策略之一。我们的研究结果对公共卫生组织进行有效的疫苗接种沟通具有重要意义，并可能对 COVID-19 疫苗接种产生重大影响。我们的发现意味着，来自医生办公室的经过验证的沟通可能是大流行期间或之后的有效策略之一。我们的研究结果对公共卫生组织进行有效的疫苗接种沟通具有重要意义，并可能对 COVID-19 疫苗接种产生重大影响。