RTI International (RTI) is leading a year-long effort to understand the dynamics influencing how childhood vaccine safety information is communicated and accepted within healthcare environments, particularly focusing on the interactions between families and healthcare professionals. This study will focus on:

• understanding from whom within the healthcare team patients/families prefer to receive vaccine safety information and the environmental context in which these conversations are occurring;
• identifying current behaviors/messaging related to vaccine safety among healthcare professionals and their patients, including insights regarding which existing tactics and messaging have been most and least effective;
• learning what environmental factors in healthcare impact healthcare professionals’ approaches and how they deliver care;
• attempting to segment healthcare professionals by their approach;
• identifying resources and supports that can facilitate conversations about vaccine safety and reduce misinformation.

RTI will oversee multiple research workstreams to understand the family-staff dynamics, segment the relevant audiences, and identify opportunities for intervention. The Public Policy Lab (PPL) will work with RTI International, through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overseeing one of these workstreams focused on conducting observational research in pediatric healthcare settings across the United States. The findings from this research will support national initiatives to improve vaccine safety communication and advance the breadth of knowledge available regarding vaccine safety communication.

Disclaimer
This project is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a project award totaling $2,770,000 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents of this website are those of the author(s) and so not necessarily represent the official view of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. government.