Randomized Quality Improvement Trial of Opting-In Versus Opting-Out to Increase Influenza Vaccination Rates during Pregnancy

How do opt-in versus opt-out settings nudge patients toward electronic health record adoption? An exploratory study of facilitators and barriers in Austria and France

BACKGROUND

Electronic health records (EHR) are becoming an integral part of the health system in many developed countries, though implementations and settings vary across countries. Some countries have adopted an opt-out policy, in which patients are enrolled in the EHR system following a default nudge, while others have applied an opt-in policy, where patients have to take action to opt into the system. While opt-in systems may exhibit lower levels of active user requests for access, this contrasts with opt-out systems where a notable percentage of users may passively retain access. Thus, our research endeavor aims to explore facilitators and barriers that contribute to explaining EHR usage (i.e., actively accessing the EHR system) in two countries with either an opt-in or opt-out setting, exemplified by France and Austria.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory approach using a semi-structured interview guideline was undertaken in both countries: 1) In Austria, with four homogenously composed group discussions, and 2) in France, with 19 single patient interviews. The data were collected from October 2020 to January 2021.

RESULTS

Influencing factors were categorized into twelve subcategories. Patients have similar experiences in both countries with regard to all facilitating categories, for instance, the role of health providers, awareness of EHR and social norms. However, we highlighted important differences between the two systems regarding hurdles impeding EHR usage, namely, a lack of communication as well as transparency or information security about EHR.

CONCLUSION

Implementing additional safeguards to enhance privacy protection and supporting patients to improve their digital ability may help to diminish the perception of EHR-induced barriers and improve patients' health and commitment in the long term.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Understanding the differences and similarities will help to develop practical implications to tackle the problem of low EHR usage rates in the long run. This problem is prevalent in countries with both types of EHR default settings.

"Figuring stuff out myself" - a qualitative study on maternal vaccination in socially and ethnically diverse areas in England

BACKGROUND

Maternal vaccinations against Influenza, Pertussis, and Covid-19 are recommended in the UK, and vaccines against further infections may become available soon. However, many pregnant women, especially in socially and ethnically diverse areas, have low vaccine uptake. Qualitative studies on the reasons and possible solutions are needed that are inclusive of disadvantaged and minority ethnic groups. We therefore aimed to understand the complex interplay between structural and behavioural factors contributing to the low maternal vaccine uptake in socially and ethnically diverse areas in London in the Covid-19 context.

METHODS

In 2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion among a purposive sample of 38 pregnant/recently pregnant women and 20 health service providers, including 12 midwives. Participants were recruited in ethnically diverse London boroughs. We followed a critical realist paradigm and used a thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

The sample included participants who took all, some or none of the maternal vaccines, with some participants unsure whether they had taken or been offered the vaccines. Decision-making was passive or active, with the expectation for pregnant women to do their 'own research'. Participants described various individual, social and contextual influences on their decision-making as they navigated the antenatal care system. Missing or conflicting information from providers meant knowledge gaps were sometimes filled with misinformation from unreliable sources that increased uncertainties and mistrust. Both pregnant women and providers described structural and organisational factors that hindered access to information and vaccinations, including lack of training, time and resources, and shortcomings of health information systems and apps. Some participants described factors that facilitated vaccination uptake and many made recommendations for improvements.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study showed how structural and organisational factors can compound uncertainties around maternal vaccination among socially and ethnically diverse populations. Results highlight the need for more reliable resources, streamlined workflows, improved electronic information systems and training in their use. Roles and responsibilities should be clarified with potential greater involvement of nurses and pharmacists in vaccine provision. Education and communication should consider individual (language/digital) skills and needs for information and reassurance. Further research is needed to co-produce solutions with service users and providers.

Opt-out policy and its improvements promote COVID-19 vaccinations

Rationale

Vaccination uptake is a major strategy to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2 and curb the transmission of COVID-19. However, many people remain unwilling to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Objective

Using default nudges, the present study examines (a) whether opt-out policy and its improvements could increase intention and attitude to get vaccinated and (b) whether these default effects differ across diverse risk-perception groups.

Method

An online experiment with 1926 unvaccinated Chinese respondents was conducted in February 2021. We measured willingness to be vaccinated after informing opt-in policy, standard opt-out policy, and its five improvements (opt-out education, opt-out opportunity, opt-out social norm, opt-out feedback, and opt-out opportunity). Risk perception of the pandemic of COVID-19 and vaccination were also measured.

Results

(a) Opt-out policy and its improvement (except the opt-out transparency) increased intentions to be vaccinated. Policies with a vaccination default did not weaken people's attitude toward policy and policymakers compared with the opt-in policy, but participants in the transparent improvement group reported lower freedom of choice than those in the opt-out group. (b) Further latent profile analysis revealed four classes underlying risk perception: risk exaggerators, risk deniers, disease-specific risk perceivers, and vaccine-specific risk perceivers. But there was no conclusive evidence that the effect of risk perception differs as a function of defaults.

Conclusions

These findings provide new psychological evidence for formulating more targeted vaccination policies and highlight the importance of risk perception to understand vaccination intentions.

Obstetric Provider Attitudes and Office Practices for Maternal Influenza and Tdap Vaccination

Background: Although maternal vaccination with influenza and tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines improve health outcomes for pregnant individuals and infants, maternal vaccination rates are low. This study assessed obstetric providers' attitudes and practices related to influenza and Tdap vaccination in four large health systems in New York (NY) and California (CA). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of all obstetric providers within four health systems (two in NY, two in CA) to evaluate provider attitudes and office systems used for Tdap and influenza vaccination. The survey assessed perceptions of influenza and Tdap vaccination based on the Health Belief Model, and assessed office systems (reminders, prompts, standing orders, and patient education) and communication with pregnant patients related to influenza and Tdap vaccines. Results: We had 112 responses (52% response rate) for analyses. Respondents strongly supported vaccination during pregnancy but viewed influenza disease as less of a concern for newborns than for pregnant individuals (40% vs. 67% considered influenza disease to be very significant, p < 0.001). Only 84% agreed that giving influenza vaccine in the first trimester is very safe. Patient vaccine refusal was the most commonly named barrier for both influenza and Tdap vaccination. Providers frequently used office system prompts, but did not frequently use standing orders, patient educational materials, vaccine champions, and feedback on vaccination rates. Conclusions: While most providers consider influenza and Tdap vaccination important during pregnancy, there is room for improvement in focusing on the importance of maternal vaccination to the health of the infant, and increasing the use of office systems to improve vaccination during pregnancy.

Racial disparities in influenza immunization during pregnancy in the United States: A narrative review of the evidence for disparities and potential interventions

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this review were to summarize existing data on racial disparities in maternal immunization for influenza in the U.S. and to review the literature on interventions to improve the uptake of the influenza vaccine among Black pregnant women.

DATA SOURCES

U.S. survey data on maternal influenza immunization by racial and ethnic group were summarized in narrative form. To review intervention studies, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for English language articles published 2017 to 2021, in addition to studies identified by a previous systematic review.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Peer-reviewed studies conducted in the U.S. and reporting interventions designed to increase the uptake of the influenza vaccine in pregnancy with study populations including at least 20% of participants identifying as Black were included.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS

Studies were grouped and reviewed in a narrative manner according to whether they were conducted in predominantly Black populations or in more racially diverse populations, and whether they tested multicomponent or single-component interventions.

RESULTS

A decade of survey data show that Black women in the U.S. consistently have the lowest rate of influenza immunization in pregnancy. Black women report a lower rate of being recommended or offered the vaccine, and provider recommendation is associated with greater vaccine uptake. Intervention studies to increase influenza immunization among Black pregnant women have reported mixed results. Successful interventions include multicomponent practice-based interventions, group prenatal care, and culturally competent patient educational messages.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial disparities in maternal uptake of the influenza vaccine are long-standing, but not intractable. More research is needed to test interventions to address this disparity, with a focus on increasing provider recommendation and offer of the vaccine, addressing patients' concerns about vaccine safety and efficacy, improving providers' cultural competence, and building trust between providers and patients.

Opt-out Consent in Children's Emergency Medicine Research

There is global acceptance that individuals should be allowed to decide whether or not to take part in research studies, and to do so after being informed about the nature of the research and the risk that might attach to participation. The process of providing detailed information before seeking consent (formalized by signatures) in advance of undertaking research procedures may not be possible in some circumstances, and sometimes an amended approach may be adopted. The use of opt-out consent has been recognized as a valid and ethical means of recruiting participants to studies particularly with large samples and where the risk to participants is small. However, it is sometimes misunderstood and can be a problematic factor in being accepted by research ethics committees and governing authorities. This may be due partly to differing expectations of the amount of information and support offered, together with the nature of the process that is adopted to ensure that a decision has been made rather than consent simply being assumed. In accordance with ongoing discussions with young people, and following consultation with parents, an opt-out consent strategy including varied means of providing information was employed in a large study of 44,501 cases of children attending emergency or urgent care departments. The study was conducted over more than 12 months in dissimilar emergency departments and an urgent care unit, and was designed to support better decision-making in pediatric emergency departments about whether children need to be admitted to hospital or can be discharged home safely. Robust analysis of the factors that exerted the greatest impact on predicting the need to admit or the safety of discharging children led to a revised version of an existing tool. In this article, we review approaches to consent in research, the nature and impact of opt-out consent, the factors that made this an effective strategy for this study, but also more recent concerns which may make opt-out consent no longer acceptable.