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

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to improve how doctors-in-training communicate with patients about vaccines, particularly when families express hesitancy. The focus is on enhancing vaccine knowledge and communication skills through interactive online modules and practice sessions with actors portraying patients (standardized patient encounters). It targets residents in pediatrics and family medicine at specific Beaumont hospitals, helping them gain confidence in discussing vaccines such as HPV, Influenza, MMR, and COVID-19. Residents in these programs at Beaumont may find this trial beneficial. As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity to enhance communication skills and vaccine knowledge, benefiting both professional development and patient care.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

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

What prior data suggests that this training program is safe and effective?

Research has shown that programs like the one in this trial, which teach residents through interactive and online methods, are generally safe. These programs help healthcare providers learn how to discuss vaccines. They often include practice with actors simulating patients, allowing for realistic conversations.

These educational activities pose no safety risks. Studies have not reported any negative effects from this type of training. The main goal is to improve communication skills, helping residents feel more confident when discussing vaccines with patients.

In summary, participating in this educational program is safe. It aims to enhance confidence and skills in discussing vaccines without any physical risks. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it aims to boost vaccination rates through innovative training methods for healthcare providers. Unlike traditional methods, which often involve passive learning through lectures or reading materials, this approach uses interactive online modules combined with standardized patient encounters. These immersive experiences help doctors-in-training develop and refine their vaccine counseling skills in a realistic setting. This hands-on approach could lead to more effective communication between doctors and patients, ultimately improving vaccination rates.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for improving vaccination rates?

Research has shown that interactive educational programs can enhance how medical residents discuss vaccines. In this trial, participants will engage in an Interactive Vaccine Education Program, which combines online training modules with standardized patient encounters. For instance, one online training program made residents feel more knowledgeable and confident when discussing vaccines with hesitant patients. In another study, 94% of residents who completed training reported improved skills in vaccine conversations. Practicing with actors, known as standardized patient encounters, has also improved communication. Overall, these educational tools can help increase vaccination rates by enhancing how healthcare providers discuss vaccines with patients. ^{1 2 3 5 6}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Andrea C Hernandez Troya, MD

Principal Investigator

William Beaumont Hospitals

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

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 for a Trial Participant

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

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

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.

How Is the Trial Designed?

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

Published Research Related to This Trial

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 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]

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]

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]

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06074237?locStr=United+States&country=United+States&aggFilters=status%3A

Improving Vaccine Counseling Skills Among Residents ... After completion of the Immersive Resident Education modules, residents will participate in a telemedicine standardized patient encounter.

2. researchgate.net researchgate.net/publication/389766402_Effectiveness_of_Online_Vaccine_Communication_Training_and_Assessment_Using_Virtual_Encounters_with_Standardized_Vaccine-Hesitant_Parents/download

Effectiveness of Online Vaccine Communication Training ... Results: From December 2020 to June 2021, a total of 54 of 58 (93%) eligible residents were enrolled in the study; 51 (94%) completed the study ...

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9688224/

Vaccine hesitancy educational tools for healthcare providers ... We sought to map and present an overview of existing educational interventions for healthcare providers (HCPs) on strategies to engage in effective vaccine ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1876285917300128

A Virtual Reality Curriculum for Pediatric Residents ... An immersive virtual reality (VR) curriculum was created to teach pediatric residents communication skills when discussing influenza vaccine hesitancy.

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12532485/

Impact of Standardized Patient Programs on Pre-clinical ... Standardized patients are a valuable educational tool for students, residents, and even professionals in the healthcare domain.

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876139925000362

Interactive simulation for addressing vaccine hesitancy in ... This manuscript outlines the implementation and evaluation of an interactive artificial intelligence (AI)-driven virtual clinical simulation that aimed to ...