Exercising Empathy: Pharmacists Possess Skills to Increase Coronavirus Vaccine Confidence

Akpoji, Ukwen; Amos, Mary Ellen; McMillan, Katelyn; Sims, Sharanie; Rife, Kelsey

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines are the essential public health intervention to confer SARS-CoV-2 immunity, while decreasing the risks of severe COVID-19 disease, hospitalizations, and death associated with natural infection. Public health experts agree that the public health interventions of social distancing and face coverings will only be able to successfully curtail the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. when combined with the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines. The risk for severe COVID-19 is higher in Americans with highly prevalent metabolic and cardiovascular chronic conditions as well as vulnerable demographics, such as minorities and pregnant women. Unfortunately, experience with past unethical health practices can influence current vaccine confidence in people of color and women of childbearing age. Pharmacists are well-positioned in myriad health care settings across the nation to listen to these concerns and have the conversations necessary to increase vaccine confidence. Similar to effective roles pharmacists have had in other health prevention efforts like smoking cessation, pharmacists possess the motivational interviewing skills to guide patients from the “pre-contemplation” to the “action” stages of health behavior change. This nonjudgmental, mutual understanding will help identify the individual factors influencing vaccine decision-making and bring us closer to achieving “community immunity.”