Continuing Medical Education Improves Physician Communication Skills and Increases Likelihood of Pediatric Vaccination: Findings from the Pediatric Influenza Vaccination Optimization Trial (PIVOT)-II

William A Fisher; Vladimir Gilca; Michelle Murti; Alison Orth; Hartley Garfield; Paul Roumeliotis; Emmanouil Rampakakis; Vivien Brown; John Yaremko; Paul Van Buynder; Constantina Boikos; James A Mansi

doi:10.3390/vaccines11010017

Continuing Medical Education Improves Physician Communication Skills and Increases Likelihood of Pediatric Vaccination: Findings from the Pediatric Influenza Vaccination Optimization Trial (PIVOT)-II

Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Dec 21;11(1):17. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11010017.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Western University, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada.
² Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Québec Public Health Institute, Laval University, Québec City, QC G1V 5B3, Canada.
³ Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 3M7, Canada.
⁴ Fraser Health Authority, Vancouver, BC V3T 0H1, Canada.
⁵ The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.
⁶ Eastern Ontario Health Unit, Cornwall, ON K6J 5T1, Canada.
⁷ JSS Medical Research, Montreal, QC H4S 1N8, Canada.
⁸ Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1V7, Canada.
⁹ The Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0G4, Canada.
¹¹ School of Medicine, Griffith University, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
¹² Seqirus, Montreal, QC H9H 4M7, Canada.

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of a continuing medical education (CME) program that emphasized actionable information, motivation to act, and skills to strengthen physician recommendations for seasonal influenza vaccination in children 6 through 23 months of age for whom influenza immunization rates are suboptimal. Physicians were randomly assigned to an accredited CME program or to no CME. Participants completed pre- and post-study questionnaires. Influenza immunization rates were compared between groups. A total of 33 physicians in the CME group and 35 in the control group documented 292 and 322 healthy baby visits, respectively. Significantly more parents immunized their children against influenza after interacting with CME-trained physicians than those with no CME training (52.9% vs. 40.7%; p = 0.007). The odds ratio for vaccination after visits with CME-trained physicians was 1.52 (95% confidence interval 1.09 to 2.12; p = 0.014), which was unaffected by the socioeconomic status of parents. Parents who discussed influenza vaccination with CME-trained physicians were 20% more likely to choose an approved but publicly unfunded adjuvanted pediatric influenza vaccine. The percentages of physicians reporting the highest levels of knowledge, ability, and confidence doubled or tripled after the CME intervention. Significantly more parents immunized very young children after interacting with physicians who had undergone CME training.

Keywords: childhood vaccination; education; influenza; parental acceptance; vaccine hesitancy.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. and Seqirus Inc. Of note, Novartis’ influenza vaccine business was acquired by the CSL-group on 31 July 2015, and currently operates as Seqirus, Inc. The sponsor had primary responsibility for study design and study vaccines, protocol development, study monitoring, data management, and statistical analyses.