Factors affecting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare providers in 23 countries.
Jeanna Parsons Leigh, Stephana J Moss, Trenton M White, Camila A Picchio, Kenneth H Rabin, Scott C Ratzan, Katarzyna Wyka, Ayman El-Mohandes, Jeffrey V Lazarus
Author Information
Jeanna Parsons Leigh: School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Stephana J Moss: School of Health Administration, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
Trenton M White: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Camila A Picchio: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Kenneth H Rabin: Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York City, United States.
Scott C Ratzan: Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York City, United States.
Katarzyna Wyka: Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York City, United States.
Ayman El-Mohandes: Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, City University of New York (CUNY), New York City, United States.
Jeffrey V Lazarus: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jeffrey.lazarus@isglobal.org.
BACKGROUND: Several early COVID-19 studies aimed to assess the potential acceptance of a vaccine among healthcare providers, but relatively few studies of this population have been published since the vaccines became widely available. Vaccine safety, speed of development, and low perceived disease risk were commonly cited as factors for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among this group. PURPOSE AND METHODS: In a secondary analysis based on a cross-sectional, structured survey, the authors aimed to assess the associations between self-reported vaccine hesitancy and a number of sociodemographic and COVID-19 vaccine perception factors using data from 3,295 healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, community health workers, other healthcare providers) in 23 countries. FINDINGS: 494 (15.0%) of the participants reported vaccine hesitancy, of whom 132 (4.0%) would outright refuse to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Physicians were the least hesitant. Vaccine hesitancy was more likely to occur among those with less than the median income and, to a lesser degree, younger age. Safety and risk concerns and lack of trust that vaccines would be equitably distributed were strongly associated with hesitancy, less so were concerns about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. INTERPRETATION: Findings suggest a need to address safety and risk concerns through tailored messaging, training, and/or incentive approaches among healthcare providers, as well as the need for international and national vaccination efforts to ensure equitable distribution.
