Vaccine Acceptance During a Novel Student-led Emergency Department COVID-19 Vaccination Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic heightened healthcare access issues and vaccine hesitancy.
• A student-led vaccination program in an emergency department was developed to address these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake through a novel, student-led emergency department vaccination initiative.
• To assess the impact of student-provided education on vaccine acceptance and identify factors influencing hesitancy.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, quality-improvement pilot program utilized medical and pharmacy student volunteers as COVID-19 vaccine screeners.
• Patients received education on vaccine concerns, and acceptance rates were recorded alongside demographic and hesitancy data.
• Focus groups explored implementation facilitators and barriers using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Main Results:

• Of 406 patients screened, vaccine acceptance among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals increased from 28.3% to 31.5% after student education.
• Concerns about side effects and safety were the primary reasons for vaccine hesitancy.
• Logistic regression indicated older age and Black race were associated with increased vaccine acceptance.

Conclusions:

• Student volunteers successfully screened patients and provided education, leading to a modest but statistically significant increase in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.
• The program highlighted the educational benefits for students and identified key implementation facilitators and barriers for future initiatives.