Leveraging digital communication to address vaccine hesitancy

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Leveraging digital communication to address vaccine hesitancy

Digital communication can help physicians reach more patients and increase awareness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Family physicians and nurse practitioners at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine are partnering with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit to leverage digital communication to share evidence-based COVID-19 resources through email and text message with patients who are hesitating or facing other barriers to vaccinations.

The goal of the pan-Canadian program is to help identify segments of the patient population with common reasons for vaccine hesitancy, or lack of access, by age, language, education level, rurality, gender and ethnicity. Primary care providers can then provide these groups with appropriately tailored digital information by e-mail and text message which will both help identify reasons for vaccine hesitancy and best address concerns. This technology will also provide timely, more regular communication with patients, both in the city and living remotely, and increase information sharing among physicians and patients now and in the future.

For more information, visit the University of Ottawa.