Articles: pandemics.
-
Annals of family medicine · Apr 2022
Intention for COVID-19 vaccination: predictors and sources of influence.
Context: General acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination is needed to end the pandemic, but vaccine hesitancy is a challenge. Identifying predictors of acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines and sources of positive influence on vaccine decisions could inform and guide the efforts to improve vaccination rates. Objective: 1) To determine the proportion and predictors of vaccine intentions among adults served by our mobile free clinic. 2) To determine the sources of positive influence on vaccine uptake. ⋯ Conclusions: Similar to national averages, 66% of our sample intended to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Flu vaccination in the last year and worrying about health during the pandemic predicted intention to receive the vaccine. Health care providers were most frequently identified as a positive influence on vaccine uptake, underscoring the importance of their role in recommending COVID-19 vaccinations.
-
Annals of family medicine · Apr 2022
Pandemic reflection: Significant change is needed to tap into the power of primary care during times of crisis.
Context: As a front-line resource, primary care could function as an indispensable health system resource during pandemic crises. However, throughout COVID-19, Canada's primary care providers expressed concern over their ability to respond. This study investigates factors related to these concerns, suggesting key areas for future primary care system development. ⋯ These findings vary across jurisdictions and practice/remuneration models. Conclusions: Canada's primary care system has not been adequately engaged in important COVID-19 response measures, including monitoring viral spread in the population, pandemic planning, vaccination roll out, and therapeutic research. Practice models and remuneration arrangements are related to primary care's responsiveness to the COVID-19 pandemic,& should be considered in future primary care health system development.
-
Annals of family medicine · Apr 2022
Virtual community outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic: addressing health disparities for vulnerable populations.
Context: COVID-19 has worsened health disparities among vulnerable populations, including minority and non-English-speaking populations. Community outreach is an effective method to bridge the gap for those populations. Virtual Community Outreach (VCO) emerged as a novel and sustainable approach during the pandemic but is unstudied. ⋯ Conclusions: VCO can be a novel and useful method to improve health literacy for those with vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. VCO also may expand primary care access to that population, as attendees meet clinicians through virtual lectures and learn about the clinic. Also, through VCO, the clinic can reach and recruit diverse patients.
-
Annals of family medicine · Apr 2022
One year of COVID: primary care learning experiences in a health system.
Context: Patients and communities consider their primary care clinicians (PCC's) to be their most trusted source of information. During the first 12 months of the COVID pandemic, initially reliable, accurate information was scare, evolving, and at times conflicting. From testing, public health prevention, treatment, and vaccinations clinicians had to learn, apply, and convey this information honestly and openly. ⋯ Conclusions: During the pandemic, primary care clinicians provided a broad array of clinical services, and are a source of information for colleagues, patients, and communities. They rely on a broad array of sources for reliable information, mostly relationship-based, not formal CME. The trusted relationships primary care clinicians have with others throughout their communities was essential in promulgating accurate reliable information during the first year of the pandemic.