Pharmacy student perceptions of their preparedness to address vaccine hesitancy and refusal

Vaccine hesitancy/refusal is a growing issue worldwide. Pharmacists are well suited to address vaccine hesitancy; however, the extent to which they feel trained to do so may vary. The objective of this study was to determine pharmacy student confidence in addressing vaccine hesitancy/refusal.

Students in their penultimate didactic and experiential years at United States schools of pharmacy were invited to participate in a 30-item electronic survey concerning perceptions of preparedness to address vaccine hesitancy/refusal. The primary outcome was pharmacy students' perception of their ability to address vaccine hesitancy/refusal. Secondary outcomes included student confidence in their knowledge of and ability to speak to vaccine controversies and support for pharmacist/patient vaccine responsibilities. Outcomes were addressed using five-point Likert-type items. Median values and interquartile ranges were reported, with chi-square analysis accounting for possible heterogeneity between groups.

A total of 1433 students (estimated response rate = 20%) completed the survey. Respondents indicated confidence in their preparedness to address patient immunization concerns, hesitancy, and refusal with a median score of 4 (scale of 5, with 1 = the least confident and 5 = the most confident). Secondary outcome analysis revealed varying degrees of confidence regarding specific vaccine hesitancy controversies.

Pharmacy students were confident in their ability to address vaccine hesitancy/refusal. Students held beliefs of responsibility for limiting non-vaccination, but felt less confident in addressing concerns regarding specific vaccine components and immune system overload.