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. 2022 Feb;24(1):e13749.
doi: 10.1111/tid.13749. Epub 2021 Nov 3.

Kidney transplant recipients' attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and barriers and enablers to vaccine acceptance

Dhakshayini Tharmaraj  1   2 , Claire Dendle  2   3 , Kevan R Polkinghorne  1   2   4 , William R Mulley  1   2
Affiliations

Kidney transplant recipients' attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination and barriers and enablers to vaccine acceptance

Dhakshayini Tharmaraj et al. Transpl Infect Dis. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To identify barriers and enablers to COVID-19 vaccination in renal transplant recipients who are undecided about vaccination.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to 876 adult kidney transplant recipients at a tertiary referral service, who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The survey assessed willingness to be vaccinated, attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, and barriers and enablers to proceeding with vaccination.

Results: The survey response rate was 54% (473/876). Three hundred and forty-six (73.1%) participants planned to receive vaccination (yes group), 105 (22.2%) were undecided, and 22 (4.7%) refused vaccination. The undecided group were younger but were not different in other demographic characteristics to the yes group. The undecided group were less positive toward (34.29% vs. 91.3%, p < .001) and more concerned about (93.3% vs. 25.1%, p < .001) vaccination than the yes group. Their concerns related to vaccine safety (including harm to their transplant), poor efficacy, and a lack of rigorous testing in transplant recipients. Undecided recipients had received less vaccine-specific information from medical specialists than the yes group. Most undecided participants (95.1%) were willing to proceed with vaccination with appropriate supports. The most desired supports were information and a recommendation to proceed with vaccination from their treating transplant specialist and team.

Conclusion(s): Concerns about vaccine safety (including harm to transplant), poor vaccine efficacy, and lack of rigorous testing were barriers to vaccine uptake. Most undecided recipients would proceed with vaccination with specific recommendations and vaccine information provided by their transplant specialist/team. These simple interventions can be readily implemented to optimize vaccine uptake.

Keywords: SARS-CoV2 vaccine; renal transplantation; vaccination promotion; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine intention; vaccine refusal.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Attitudes toward the COVID‐19 vaccine by vaccine intention group
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
COVID‐19 vaccine knowledge by intention to receive vaccine
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Percent perceived efficacy of COVID‐19 infection prevention methods by vaccination intention. Combination = mask wearing + hand washing + social distancing
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Barriers and enablers of COVID‐19 vaccine acceptance in undecided recipients (% per category)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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