UAMS Researchers Find Health Care Providers’ Advice Matters to Those Hesitant about Vaccines

By David Wise

FAYETTEVILLE — Health care provider recommendations for vaccines are critical for reaching vaccine-hesitant individuals, particularly regarding COVID-19, influenza and HPV vaccination, according to researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

According to several studies published this summer, researchers at the UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation found that hesitant people who received a provider recommendation had significantly greater odds of being vaccinated than hesitant people who did not.

“Provider recommendations matter a lot, especially when patients are hesitant, because it can considerably increase the odds of a person becoming vaccinated,” said Don Willis, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Institute for Community Health Innovation. “However, not enough people who are hesitant are getting provider recommendations, so hopefully these findings can help health care providers increase vaccine recommendations to their patients.”

UAMS Researchers Find Health Care Providers’ Advice Matters to Those Hesitant about Vaccines