Collaborating with Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Providers When Writing HPV Vaccine Review Articles

Abstract

Novel strategies are needed to address vaccine hesitancy (VH), which correlates with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In Switzerland, CAM providers play important roles in vaccine counseling of vaccine hesitant (VH) parents, and traditional vaccination messaging tends to overlook CAM provider perspectives. In the setting of a Swiss national research program on VH, our key strategy has been to work together closely with CAM providers. To assess the feasibility of generating educational human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine materials that would interest VH healthcare providers (HCPs), we invited four CAM providers to co-author two HPV vaccine review articles for general practitioners. We conducted thematic analysis of CAM provider comments to identify patterns that could complement and improve vaccination messaging from CAM perspectives. We identified several themes and generated an inventory of CAM provider messaging recommendations related to language use, presentation of background information, nuanced statements regarding HPV vaccine efficacy and safety, and communication tools that would be important to VH HCPs. Contrary to our initial expectations, and in an inclusive, respectful atmosphere of open dialogue, we were able to productively finalize our manuscripts. In the opinion of the CAM co-authors, the manuscripts effectively considered the communication needs and perspectives of VH HCPs. Engaging with CAM providers appears to be a feasible and innovative avenue for providing vaccine information and designing communication tools aimed at VH healthcare providers.

Health Care Professionals’ Interest in Vaccination Training in Switzerland: A Quantitative Survey

“…Regarding HPV vaccine, many physicians, but few pharmacists and nurses, completely encouraged patients/clients to follow the official vaccination recommendations. This could be due to HCPs feeling uncomfortable addressing sexual topics ( 25 ) or HCPs being uncertain about the need for HPV vaccine ( 44 , 45 ). Another potential explanation is that pharmacists and nurses may be less familiar with the vaccination schedule for adolescents compared to physicians.…”

“…The use of CM and is common among 25%–50% of the population. Contrary to common preconceptions, CM providers are not categorically opposed to vaccination ( 25 ). Rather, research has shown how they prefer individualized, patient-centered vaccination counseling that addresses the pros and cons of vaccination, emphasizes the autonomy of parents in their medical decisions, and involves them in vaccination decisions ( 26 , 27 ).…”

Awareness and use of home remedies in Italy’s alps: a population-based cross-sectional telephone survey

“…Although CAM literature cannot be simply described as being either pro-or antivaccination without considering finer areas of disagreement [45,46], CAM has emerged as part of an expert system countering conventional medicine, and pro-vaccination health professionals, policymakers, and information providers seeking to address the role of CAM in vaccine rejection face significant challenges due to the epistemic basis of its proponents' decisions [47]. Engaging with CAM providers appears to be a feasible and innovative avenue for providing vaccine information and designing communication tools aimed at vaccine-hesitant healthcare providers [48].…”

Pharmacists’ approaches to vaccination consultations in Switzerland: a qualitative study comparing the roles of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and biomedicine

“…9 Our Swiss National Research Programme 74 (NRP74) on VH and underimmunisation focuses on both biomedical providers and providers of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). [10][11][12] CAM is popular in many countries worldwide, [13][14][15][16] and CAM-use will likely continue to grow in popularity. 16 According to Swiss surveys, 25%-50% of respondents report using CAM services.…”