PHAC survey finds most healthcare professionals hear patient express concern for vaccines 'on a regular basis'

A survey conducted for the Public Health Agency of Canada finds that most healthcare professionals encounter cases of vaccine hesitancy "on a regular basis," but outright refusals by patients to vaccinate remain relatively rare. The survey, meant to provide PHAC with a picture of how widespread concerns are about vaccines have become, will be used to decide how best to use the $25 million over five years to boost immunization rates. The survey shows:

• The number of times patients mention incorrect information about vaccines in their appointments remains generally the same as it was five years ago;
• Specialists believed they were seeing more hesitancy or inaccurate information among patients;
• The top concerns reported from patients about vaccines were about ingredients in vaccines, the fear of long-term side effects, and having heard of or known someone who says they had an adverse reaction; and
• Of those said patients expressed a lack of trust in institutions, between 50% and 64% of healthcare professionals said that came in the form of conspiracy theories about pharmaceutical companies and the government.