Research
We have 6 research objectives, and our project includes 5 phases.
Planning
has been started when preparing the VAX-TRUST proposal and will continue after the funding decision.
Research Objectives
Objective 1: Increase knowledge about the situation of vaccine hesitancy in specific regions through:
- a review of existing studies regarding vaccine hesitancy
- an analysis of macro-level factors impacting vaccine hesitancy
- an analysis of individual and socio-demographic factors of vaccine hesitancy and resistance
- an analysis of media coverage on vaccinations
Objective 2: To gain a rich understanding of the position of healthcare professionals in terms of vaccine hesitancy, we will carry out an ethically sound in-depth qualitative study on vaccine hesitancy in specific regional contexts of the seven countries, in order to gather up-to-date information about:
- the interaction between healthcare professionals and vaccine hesitant parents
- the perceptions, attitudes and behavior of vaccine hesitant parents
- the perceptions and reflections on vaccines and vaccination programmes of healthcare professionals themselves.
Objective 3: Based on the qualitative study, we will identify, tailor and implement an intervention that aims at helping healthcare professionals strengthen their expert position when meeting with vaccine hesitancy and related challenges to expertise, expert knowledge and evidence-based recommendations.
Objective 4: Examine the evaluability of this intervention, train its evaluators and evaluate the implemented interventions.
Objective 5: Draw readily implementable recommendations for healthcare authorities and professionals that would help healthcare professionals to encounter a range of attitudes in relation to vaccination, including vaccine hesitancy, which, in turn, would increase vaccine uptake in the regional settings and beyond.
Objective 6: Disseminate the knowledge collected in the project in:
- research publications
- policy briefs to healthcare authorities
- outreach activities
- specific exploitation action to healthcare students in order to strengthen the development of strong expertise to meet with future challenges of vaccine hesitancy and expertise.
Phases
1.
2.
Situation analysis
includes two elements: Review of existing scholarship and the relationship between macro-level factors and people’s attitudes toward vaccination (Work Package 2) and Media coverage on vaccination (Work Package 3).
3.
Research:
Qualitatitive study on vaccine hesitancy in the Target Regions (Work Package 4).
4.
Intervention:
Intervention to healthcare professionals in each Target Region (Work Package 5).
5.
Conclusion:
Evaluation of intervention (Work Package 6) and Drawing recommendations (Work Package 7).
Work Packages
WP1: Ethics of data collection, interventions, evaluation and recommendations
The objective of WP1 is the managing, monitoring, reviewing, and approving all ethical aspects of the project and ensuring strict compliance of research outcomes with national and European rules concerning privacy, data protection, voluntary participation in the project, and monitoring of data handling and responsible dissemination.
WP2: A situation analysis of vaccine hesitancy in the Target Regions and Europe
The objective of WP 2 is to review the state-of-the-art of existing and on-going studies in Target Regions, to analyze macro-level factors impacting vaccine hesitancy in Europe, and to analyze individual-level factors, as well as the interaction between individual-level and macro-level factors impacting vaccine hesitancy in Europe.
WP3: Media coverage related to vaccination
The objective of the WP3 is to provide a comparative analysis of the media discourses on vaccination in the Target Regions, and to analyze the discourse on vaccination and vaccinating, considering the elements of vaccine hesitancy.
WP4: Detailed examination of vaccine hesitancy in Target Regions
The WP4 focuses on the interactions between healthcare professionals and parents in the consulting rooms, and analyses knowledge, beliefs and practices of these two groups separately.
WP5: Design and implementation of tailored and evidence-based interventions
The objective of WP5 is to design a tailored and evidence-based intervention to reduce vaccine hesitancy and consolidate vaccination coverage in Target Regions, to implement a targeted and tailored individual-level intervention for healthcare professionals, and to summarize the implemented intervention models.
WP6: Evaluation of interventions
The general objective of WP6 is to design and implement the evaluation plan of WP5, namely the interventions intended to reduce vaccine hesitancy and consolidate vaccination coverage through strengthening the interface between the patients’ need for information and health professionals communication.
WP7: Recommendations
The objective of the WP7 is to design and develop recommendations targeted at specific populations, health care professionals and health care authorities for each Target Region analyzed, to build recommendations for interventions to the European Union, national and regional public health authorities, healthcare centres and healthcare professionals based on the previous and implemented interventions, and to develop recommendations for vaccine hesitancy among different population groups in Target Regions.
WP8: Communication, dissemination and exploitation of results
The objective of WP8 is to ensure and efficient communication, exploitation and dissemination strategy.
WP9: Project management
The key objective of WP9 is to provide the organizational and personal resources for the consortium management.
FUNDING
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 965280.
