Vaccines are a hot topic of debate as of late. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a general mistrust of vaccines has become more and more prevalent. Researchers in Canada sought out to discern the root cause of the growing "vaccine hesitancy" within the country, specifically of parents and their children.
The researchers categorized those who were studied based of their responses to 44 questions revolving around vaccination ideals such as, "belief in vaccination and vaccine safety, interest and involvement on health issues, and influence of family and friends on vaccination decisions". 4 categories were created from these responses and labeled as follows; "the acceptors; the vaccine hesitant; the late vaccinators; and the rejecters". Although the authors advised caution when trying to draw a "general picture" of vaccine hesitancy. Parameters placed on studies can have a potential influence on what data is presented by the researchers, and therefore findings should be taken with a grain of salt not necessarily accepted at face value.
The authors claim that the hesitancy party stems from the rise in the "informed patient". The informed patient originates from informed consent, which is the process which health care providers educate patients about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a given procedure or intervention. This paradigm shift has "shifted the traditional locus of power from doctors as sole providers of patient care to shared decision making between health professionals and patients who want to be active participants in the decision making process concerning their health." In theory, this shift is ideal in creating a healthy environment of conversation and understanding between patient and provider. However, the "new" informed patient tends to receive their information from social media and other outside influences rather than having a conversation with a medical provider. This misgathering of sources can lead to false conceptions of the efficacy or even functionality of a vaccine. The misunderstanding typically leads to an accusatory conversation where presumptions are already held as absolute truths, rather than an informative one with questions of clarification.
The overling principle of this study is that of autonomy. A patient has an innate right to make decisions about their own medical care. But what if they are misinformed? What if beneficence directly contradicts their personal autonomy? How as future health care providers/scientists can we overcome misinformation? Unfortunately there is no "bandaid" fix for this growing problem, and we must all be ready to face it in our future careers.
Dubé E, Laberge C, Guay M, Bramadat P, Roy R, Bettinger J. Vaccine hesitancy: an overview. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2013 Aug;9(8):1763-73. doi: 10.4161/hv.24657. Epub 2013 Apr 12. PMID: 23584253; PMCID: PMC3906279.
Hi Cole! I have definitely found myself encountering a larger mass of unvaccinated since the rise of COVID. I think one of the larger concerns, as you have pointed out, is the misgathering of sources which leads to the ill-found evidence resulting in weak claims. One of the hardest things about living in the era of technology and social media, the access to incorrect information is at the fingertips of millions resulting in a further divide. Unfortunately, with the right to autonomy the line for which we walk on convincing patients to follow the best medical advice, there is only so much we can do.
ReplyDeleteCole, the ideas that you present in this article are thought provoking. I have found myself wondering about the reasons people choose to remain unvaccinated and, in conducting my own social research, have found similar results to that of your article. A common theme that I have found amongst the Christian, and other religious groups, anti vaccination population, they find fault in the way vaccines were made. They claim that they were made form the fetuses of aborted babies and to use these vaccines would be a sin. While the rabies, rubella, and chickenpox vaccines were made using fetal cells, the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines has no fetal origins (Johnson and Johnson does). To counter the argument made against the other three vaccines mentioned and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, it is also important to acknowledge that The Vatican has acknowledged the use of fetal cells in these vaccines. However, they have declared that the use of these vaccines will not and cannot be considered a sin against God. They claim that Christians, can not be held responsible for the choices of someone else in the past, and should use this amazing source of science to help us to protect ourselves and our kids as God would want us to.
ReplyDeleteThanks again Cole.
How the Vatican came to bless vaccines; The Catholic Church had been opposed over the way they were developed. (2021, March 22). The Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario).