Patients need more education around vaccines—and not just COVID-19 vaccines 

Patients need more education around vaccines—and not just COVID-19 vaccines 

U.S. public health officials, vaccine makers and other groups are striving to educate the public—and combat misinformation—about COVID-19 and other vaccines, with a common goal to improve vaccination rates. But as new data shows, it’s not just COVID-19 shots that patients need to learn more about. 

A recent Phreesia survey taken by nearly 10,000 parents of adolescents as they checked in for doctors’ appointments found that although parents generally recognize the importance of vaccines, many have concerns about their safety and side effects—even older, more established products. And that’s where healthcare stakeholders need to step in.  

Parents generally support childhood vaccination… 

• 91%—Agree that childhood vaccines are effective  
• 93%—Agree that childhood vaccines are important to their children’s health  
• 93%—Agree that vaccines are a good way to protect children from disease  

…but many parents don’t think their children need vaccines for diseases that are no longer common. 

My child/children does not or do not need vaccines for diseases that are not common anymore  

• 7%—Strongly agree  
• 9%—Agree 
• 25%—Neither agree nor disagree  
• 32%—Disagree  
• 27%—Strongly disagree  

But because even a small number of unvaccinated people can drive significant spread of contagious disease among both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, it’s critical that healthcare professionals and vaccine makers continue to stress the importance of childhood vaccinations. 

Parents are also concerned about vaccine side effects… 

• 13%—Strongly agree that they are concerned about serious side effects of vaccines  
• 33%—Agree that they are concerned about serious side effects of vaccines  
• 28%—Neither agree nor disagree that they are concerned about serious side effects of vaccines 

Nearly three-quarters of surveyed parents report that they are either worried or uncertain about the side effects of vaccines, despite an abundance of clinical evidence that vaccines are safe and rarely cause serious adverse reactions. 

…and patients are more wary of new vaccines. 

• 27%—of survey participants believe new vaccines carry more risks than older vaccines  

Perhaps specifically in reference to COVID-19 vaccines, more than a quarter of surveyed parents agree or strongly agree that new vaccines are riskier than older vaccines—and a whopping 48% neither agree nor disagree with that statement. 

In summary…  

Healthcare stakeholders have their work cut out for them to ensure that current vaccine hesitancy in the U.S. doesn’t further erode childhood vaccination rates. 

While patients may be generally aware of vaccines’ role in staving off disease, it’s crucial to help ease their fears about vaccine safety and side effects and highlight the continued importance of vaccination, no matter the disease. 

Find out how Phreesia’s digital patient engagement platform can help your organization identify patients who need vaccine education.