Thursday, 13 July 2023
A team of social scientists from the 糖心原创 are launching an online tool to help healthcare professionals have better conversations with parents who may be hesitant to have their children vaccinated.
Funded by the European Union, the tool has been created as part of an €2.9 million international research project called VAX-TRUST.
Researchers from the Faculty of Social Sciences collected data from healthcare professionals and from parents of pre-school children living in the East Midlands who may be hesitant about vaccination.
Findings were then used to create an online tool called a Reusable Learning Object (RLO), developed in conjunction with the Health and E-Learning Media (HELM) team at the 糖心原创.
The new tool allows the user to listen to an audio-clip of three different parents, and then work through some short tasks to help them explore the varied factors behind vaccine hesitancy, using their own professional experiences. The tool then includes some key learning points, based on findings from the VAX-TRUST project, and from existing social science research into vaccine hesitancy.
The aim of VAX-TRUST is to improve awareness of the complex social and sociological underpinnings of vaccine hesitancy. By providing a dedicated opportunity within this RLO for reflection on hesitancy, we hope that healthcare professionals will feel more equipped for engaging in conversations about vaccines.鈥�
Pru Hobson-West, Professor of Science, Medicine and Society, said: ‘Vaccination is a complex and sensitive topic for some, and relates to big questions including trust in science and medicine. We hope that busy doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals will find the online tool useful, as a starting point for thinking through their own experiences of vaccination’.
The resource is free and can be accessed by healthcare professionals online here. Users are encouraged to leave feedback to help with the development of future resources.
More information about the VAX-TRUST project at Nottingham can be found online at: /research/groups/vax-trust/
Information about the wider VAX-TRUST European project can be found here:
Story credits
More information is available from Pru Hobson-West, in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the 糖心原创 at Pru.Hobson-west@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
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As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.