Vaccine Counseling Training for Improving Vaccination Rates

Overseen By Christine Batchelder, RN

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: William Beaumont Hospitals

Disqualifiers: Non-Beaumont hospitals, Non-residents

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

108 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether participants must stop taking their current medications.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Immersive resident education, Standardized patient (SP) encounter for improving vaccination rates?

Research shows that using standardized patients (SPs) helps resident physicians improve their communication skills with vaccine-hesitant patients, which can lead to better vaccination rates. Additionally, educational interventions like online immunization curriculums and peer workshops have been shown to enhance residents' knowledge and skills in administering vaccines. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the Vaccine Counseling Training differ from other treatments for improving vaccination rates?

Vaccine Counseling Training is unique because it focuses on educating healthcare providers, particularly residents, to improve their communication skills with vaccine-hesitant patients, rather than directly administering a vaccine or medication. This approach aims to address vaccine hesitancy by enhancing the ability of healthcare providers to effectively counsel and reassure patients about vaccine safety and benefits. ^{1 4 5 6 7}

What is the purpose of this trial?

Unfortunately, only 40% of US pediatric residency programs reported in a survey that vaccine safety and counseling training is provided to residents. The success of a residency curriculum focused on communication strategies with patients hesitant to receive the influenza vaccine has been demonstrated, finding a decreased rate of vaccination refusal in the post curricular period. In a recent 2020 study, it demonstrated the positive impact of an online vaccine curriculum on resident vaccine knowledge and self-reported confidence in counseling vaccine hesitant patients. Providers have the potential to impact a substantial pediatric patient population. The outpatient clinics where the residents included in this study care for patients had 9942 pediatric visits in 2021. Each visit is an opportunity to talk with families about vaccines, address concerns and to administer vaccines when needed. The hypothesize is that interactive educational interventions using the online training modules combined with the standardized patient encounters will increase resident vaccine knowledge and confidence, and enhance communication and counseling skills, thereby improving vaccination rates of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Influenza, Measles/Mumps/Rubella (MMR) and Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the Beaumont residency clinics.

Research Team

Andrea C Hernandez Troya, MD

Principal Investigator

William Beaumont Hospitals

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for pediatric, medicine/pediatric, and family medicine residents at Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak, Troy, Wayne, or Grosse Pointe. It's designed to improve their vaccine counseling skills. Residents from other programs or hospitals are not eligible.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a resident in pediatrics, med-peds, or family medicine.

You are employed by one of the Beaumont Hospitals located in Royal Oak, Troy, Wayne or Grosse Pointe.

Exclusion Criteria

Residents receiving training at hospitals other than Beaumont Hospital - Royal Oak, Troy, Wayne, or Grosse Pointe.

Residents not enrolled in pediatric, medicine/pediatric, or family medicine programs

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Education and Training

Residents undergo interactive educational interventions using online training modules combined with standardized patient encounters to improve vaccine counseling skills

4 months

Multiple sessions (virtual and in-person)

Evaluation

Evaluation of the impact of the educational program on residents' vaccine knowledge, confidence, and communication skills

3-4 months

Standardized patient encounters

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in vaccination rates and provider attitudes post-education

18 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Immersive resident education
• Standardized patient (SP) encounter

Trial Overview The study tests whether educational modules and practice with standardized patients can boost residents' knowledge about vaccines and their ability to counsel hesitant patients effectively, potentially improving vaccination rates.

Participant Groups

Group I: Interactive Vaccine Education Program for resident providers Experimental Treatment 2 Interventions

Resident providers in pediatric, pediatric/medicine and family medicine clinics will be given interactive educational interventions using online training modules combined with standardized patient encounters to teach and refine vaccine counseling skills

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

William Beaumont Hospitals

Lead Sponsor

Trials

153

Recruited

113,000+

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Industry Sponsor

Trials

4,096

Recruited

5,232,000+

Chirfi Guindo

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Marketing Officer since 2022

Degree in Engineering from Ecole Centrale de Paris, MBA from New York University Stern School of Business

Robert M. Davis

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Chief Executive Officer since 2021

JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Bachelor's in Finance from Miami University

Findings from Research

A survey of 87 pediatric residents revealed that their beliefs about vaccines were significantly influenced by their professional experiences with vaccine-preventable diseases and by observing pediatricians who accepted alternative vaccination practices.

Despite 79.1% of residents feeling confident discussing vaccines, the study highlights gaps in their education regarding vaccine health beliefs, which could contribute to parental vaccine hesitancy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Vaccine health beliefs and educational influences among pediatric residents. Arora, G., Lehman, D., Charlu, S., et al.[2020]

The implementation of a peer influenza immunization workshop significantly increased pediatric residents' confidence in their immunization skills, with 80% of participants reporting improved confidence compared to those who only received simulation training.

After the workshop, the number of immunizations administered by residents rose dramatically from 1 to 74 in just one academic year, demonstrating the workshop's effectiveness in enhancing practical immunization competence.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Not Throwing Away My Shot: Leveraging a Peer Vaccination Workshop to Increase Residents' Immunization Skills. Rogers, A., Porada, K., Weisgerber, M.[2021]

The encounter-based immunization prompting system significantly reduced missed opportunities and vaccine administration errors among pediatric residents, with errors dropping from 21.6% in the control group to 11.4% in the intervention group.

Despite the improvement in vaccine administration, the prompting system did not significantly change the residents' knowledge of immunization guidelines, indicating that while the system is effective in practice, it may not enhance theoretical understanding.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of an encounter-based prompting system on resident vaccine administration performance and immunization knowledge. Shaw, JS., Samuels, RC., Larusso, EM., et al.[2018]

The CoVER curriculum significantly improved vaccine knowledge and self-confidence in discussing vaccines among pediatric and family medicine residents, with a notable increase in knowledge scores for family medicine residents compared to controls.

This study, involving 1444 residents across 31 programs, demonstrates that standardized immunization education can effectively address vaccine hesitancy and enhance communication skills in future physicians.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized controlled trial of an online immunization curriculum. Pahud, B., Elizabeth Williams, S., Lee, BR., et al.[2021]

In a study involving 106 internal medicine residents, only 55% performed well in educating vaccine-hesitant patients, highlighting a need for improved training in vaccine communication skills.

PGY2 residents demonstrated significantly better patient education and activation skills compared to PGY1 residents, indicating that experience may enhance effectiveness in addressing vaccine hesitancy.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"I Don't Trust It": Use of a Routine OSCE to Identify Core Communication Skills Required for Counseling a Vaccine-Hesitant Patient. Wilhite, JA., Zabar, S., Gillespie, C., et al.[2022]

Only 41% of U.S. pediatric residency programs provide formal training in vaccine safety, highlighting a significant gap in education on this important topic.

Despite the lack of training, 81.5% of programs without formal vaccine safety training expressed interest in implementing such training, indicating a strong recognition of its importance among pediatric residency program directors.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Formal training in vaccine safety to address parental concerns not routinely conducted in U.S. pediatric residency programs. Williams, SE., Swan, R.[2015]

A study involving 303 medical residents revealed that over 20% felt they had not received adequate training on vaccine safety communication during their residency, highlighting a significant gap in education.

Despite this gap, more than 95% of residents recognized the importance of vaccine safety communication for their future careers, indicating a strong demand for improved training methods, particularly through didactic lectures and role-modeling.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Communicating about vaccines and vaccine safety: what are medical residents learning and what do they want to learn? Sarnquist, C., Sawyer, M., Calvin, K., et al.[2014]

References

1. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Vaccine health beliefs and educational influences among pediatric residents. [2020]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Not Throwing Away My Shot: Leveraging a Peer Vaccination Workshop to Increase Residents' Immunization Skills. [2021]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of an encounter-based prompting system on resident vaccine administration performance and immunization knowledge. [2018]

4. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A randomized controlled trial of an online immunization curriculum. [2021]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"I Don't Trust It": Use of a Routine OSCE to Identify Core Communication Skills Required for Counseling a Vaccine-Hesitant Patient. [2022]

6. Netherlands pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Formal training in vaccine safety to address parental concerns not routinely conducted in U.S. pediatric residency programs. [2015]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Communicating about vaccines and vaccine safety: what are medical residents learning and what do they want to learn? [2014]