Vaccine-skeptic physicians and patient vaccination decisions

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• General Practice
• Vaccinology

Background:

• General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in public health initiatives.
• Physician skepticism towards vaccines can impact patient vaccination decisions.
• Understanding these influences is vital for effective public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of vaccine-skeptic GPs on COVID-19 vaccination uptake.
• To quantify the effect of physician vaccine hesitancy on patient vaccination rates.
• To differentiate between discouragement and access rationing as mechanisms of influence.

Main Methods:

• Identification of vaccine-skeptic GPs from signatories of an open letter expressing COVID-19 vaccine skepticism.
• Analysis of vaccination rates in small rural Austrian municipalities.
• Comparison of vaccination rates in areas served by vaccine-skeptic GPs versus others, considering geographic proximity for patient GP choice.

Main Results:

• Vaccine-skeptic GPs were associated with a 5.6 percentage point reduction in COVID-19 vaccination rates.
• This reduction implies that 7.9% of the vaccinable population was discouraged from vaccination.
• The observed effect was attributed to patient discouragement rather than limitations in vaccine access.

Conclusions:

• Vaccine-skeptic general practitioners can significantly hinder public health efforts, specifically COVID-19 vaccination campaigns.
• The findings underscore the importance of addressing physician vaccine hesitancy to improve population health outcomes.
• Targeted interventions may be necessary to counteract the negative influence of vaccine-skeptic healthcare providers.