COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy: Safety & Acceptance

Given the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Edmonton PLP moved quickly to meet the needs of providers and their patients. Guided by Dr. Eliana Castillo, a clinical scientist, and Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a pediatric infectious disease physician, Edmonton PLP hosted a webinar addressing the hesitancy of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant. 

 

In addition to summarizing the effectiveness and safety data supporting COVID-19 vaccination prior, during, and after pregnancy, and presenting a framework to support the effective promotion of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, the webinar also featured a demonstration of communication principles to engage in COVID-19 vaccination dialogue with patients and on social media.

 

During the webinar, the participants were able to provide immediate feedback on such things as the ease at which they feel discussing vaccination in pregnancy overall and their readiness to answer questions regarding the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in pregnant patients. The interactive nature of this webinar allowed Castillo and Constantinescu to give providers strategies to handle their immediate challenges.

 

Follow-up questions allowed our presenters to understand the effectiveness of the information they shared: 92% of providers felt more confident about discussing COVID-19 vaccination with their patients. We also identified areas in which providers felt they could benefit from support to assist in better patient conversations including more data and more robust training on vaccination conversations. 

 

Providers responded positively to this webinar and noted, “[The webinar was] to-the-point, and appreciated having tangible, practical ways of holding a discussion with someone who is vaccine-hesitant” and that they “feel more equipped to talk to any vaccine-hesitant people”.

 

This online event was attended by 130 physicians and team members.  The recording has been viewed over 200 times by providers throughout Canada and the United States. 

 

Interested in learning more?

Read more about our work understanding vaccine hesitancy: CMAJ article.

 

Please note, that the information contained within the recording is up to date as of October 2021. Recommendations may change as new evidence emerges.