Transcript
Announcer:
This is Clinician’s Roundtable on ReachMD. On this episode, Dr. Gregory Kane will discuss the importance of shared decision-making in COVID-19 vaccine conversations. He’s the Jane and Leonard Korman Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Let’s hear from Dr. Kane now.
Dr. Kane:
Social determinants of health—particularly access to healthcare services and trust in the healthcare system—really came to light during the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, early on, we saw relatively lower uptake of vaccination in the African American community, and we think that this was a bidirectional issue; perhaps there was less interest because of a lack of trust in the healthcare system and because we weren't as good at getting this vaccine out into the neighborhoods.
We've been using a shared decision-making model in our office when discussing the COVID-19 vaccine and measures to prevent COVID-19. And shared decision-making really means that we advise the patient of the risks, we advise the patient of the strategies, and then we make a joint decision based on the patient's preferences, wishes, and life view. This shared decision-making approach is really important because it leads to greater patient acceptance and greater patient understanding, but it doesn't put pressure on patients to make a decision that they're really uncomfortable with.
When we're building trust with our patients in the exam suite, it is really with one patient at a time, and it takes patience and information, but I also think it takes shared decision-making. And particularly for patients who are at increased risk because of transplant or immune therapy that causes a state of immune deficiency or a history of lung disease, taking time to build this trust is really important. A shared decision-making approach, I think, is best, and I often will share the rationale, the potential benefits, and the risks and allow patients to make their own decision.
Announcer:
That was Dr. Gregory Kane talking about how shared decision-making can play a role in COVID-19 vaccine conversations. To access this and other episodes in our series, visit Clinician’s Roundtable on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!
