Abstract
Background and Objectives: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic evolves and vaccines become available to children, pediatricians must navigate vaccination discussions in the setting of rapidly changing vaccine recommendations and approvals. We developed and evaluated an educational curriculum for pediatricians to improve their knowledge about COVID-19 vaccines and confidence in communicating with patients and families about COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: Five institutions collaborated to develop an online educational curriculum. Utilizing the collaboration's multidisciplinary expertise, we developed a 3-module curriculum focused on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and vaccine basics, logistics and administration of COVID-19 vaccine, and COVID-19 vaccine communication principles. Surveys administered to clinician participants before and after completion of the curriculum assessed knowledge and confidence; a follow-up survey 1 month after the post-survey assessed persistence of initial findings. Results: A total of 152 pediatric providers participated; 72 completed both pre- and post-surveys. The median knowledge score improved from the pre-survey to the post-survey (79%–93%, P < .001). There was an increase in providers’ confidence after completing the curriculum, which persisted in the follow-up survey. In the post-survey, 98% of participants had had the opportunity to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with patients, and most clinicians reported that the modules decreased apprehension some or significantly. Conclusions: This project demonstrates rapid and feasible deployment of a curriculum providing up-to-date information to front-line clinicians responsible for having complex conversations about COVID-19 vaccine decision-making. Clinicians who completed this curriculum had sustained increased confidence and decreased levels of apprehension when discussing the COVID-19 vaccine.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 790-799 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Academic Pediatrics |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2023 |
Funding
Members of the collaborative piloted the modules in April 2021 and provided valuable feedback to refine the content and delivery. Internal grants from each of the 5 collaborative members provided funding for this initiative. The five institutions connected with primary care pediatrics leadership in their local hospitals, affiliated practices, and local pediatric associations to distribute this educational opportunity. Between May and September 2021, providers were recruited by sending an invitation to participate via email to pediatric associations and affiliated practice listservs as well as giving presentations to those practices and associations about the study. This project was supported by internal funds from each of the five collaborating institutions. We sincerely appreciate the technical expertise of Kurt Sidenstick and Melissa Madden in developing and executing the online modules. We thank Mark Adler, MD, Mark Baker, MD, Andrea Bradley-Ewing, MPA, MA, Ellie Hamburger, MD, Annika Hofstetter, MD, PhD, MPH, Chris Kennedy, MD, David Kimberlin, MD, Steve Krug, MD, Karen Mangold, MD, MEd, Shaina Newman, PA-C, and Kim Stone, MD, for their assistance in developing and testing the modules, communicating with participants, and executing the project.
Keywords
- COVID-19 vaccine
- online educational curriculum
- parental communication
- vaccine promotion
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
