Report from MicroResearch 2020 Strategic Planning Meeting, April 24 & 25, 2014, Toronto, Canada

“MicroResearch” (MR, www.microresearch.ca) is a new model to build capacity for community-directed research to overcome longstanding research system gaps at the community level in East Africa. To date, MR has trained over 390 healthcare professionals at five universities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Training starts with a two-week MR Workshop, where participants learn basic research proposal development, analytic, and knowledge translation skills. This report provides a summary of conference papers and discussions, including participating non-governmental organizations, as well as providing reference links to participants and resources

Report from MicroResearch Curriculum Development Meeting, April 28-30, 2014, Halifax, Canada

MicroResearch (MR) aims to build local health research capacity to find solutions for local health problems affecting communities in East Africa. Developing local capacity to sustain and improve on health gains is a challenge since resource limited lower income developing countries (LIDC) bear 25% of the globe’s disease burden with less than 1% of its healthcare professionals (HCP). Module developers from Africa, all MR workshop graduates and leaders, participated in the “MicroResearch 2020” Strategic Planning Conference in order to understand the overall direction for MR, its goals for training and to contribute to MR strategy

Maternal immunization: A call to accelerate progress

Maternal immunization provides an excellent evidence-based strategy for preventing severe disease and decreasing neonatal and infant mortality. A substantial proportion of these deaths are due to infectious diseases, most of them vaccine-preventable, then, there is a real opportunity for intervention. Maternal immunization has been an underexploited area for many years, with the exception of neonatal tetanus. There are now programs for influenza and acellular pertussis vaccination in many countries and two maternal vaccine targets under development are focused on decreasing the burden of infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Bodies like the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization established by the WHO, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, have recognized the relevance of maternal immunization on several occasions. However, why is the field not moving faster, as one might expect? Major initiatives and programs should consider spelling out more clearly the role and benefits of this intervention and calling for specific actions, including future strategic approaches for the post 2020 immunization strategy following the GVAP; and single out the area as one of its priorities as a key component of immunization across the life course. While waiting for the new vaccines like RSV and GBS and optimizing the use of influenza and pertussis there is momentum now to coordinate efforts, address the missing information and action gaps, and call to accelerate progress

Ill-Informed Consent? A Content Analysis of Physical Risk Disclosure in School-Based HPV Vaccine Programs

This study examines the accuracy completeness and consistency of human papilloma virus HPV vaccine related physical risks disclosed in documents available to parents legal guardians and girls in Canadian jurisdictions with schoolbased HPV vaccine program

Student feedback to tailor the card™ system for improving the immunization experience at school

Increasing the comfort of vaccine delivery at school is needed to improve the immunization experience for students. We created the CARD™ (C—Comfort, A—Ask, R—Relax and D—Distract) system to address this clinical care gap. Originally designed for grade 7 students, this study examined the perceptions of grade 9 students of CARD™. Grade 9 students who had experience with school-based immunizations, either as recipients or onlookers (n = 7; 100% females 14 years old) participated. Students answered pre–post surveys, reviewed CARD™ educational materials and participated in a semi-structured focus group discussion. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was used as the framework for analysis of qualitative data. Participants reported positive perceptions of CARD™ educational materials and that CARD™ could fit into the school immunization process. CARD™ improved knowledge about effective coping interventions and was recommended for education of both nurses and students. The results provide preliminary evidence that CARD™ is acceptable and appropriate for implementation in grade 9 school-based immunizations

Royal society of Canada COVID-19 report: Enhancing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Canada

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance exists on a continuum from a minority who strongly oppose vaccination, to the moveable middle heterogeneous group with varying uncertainty levels about acceptance or hesitancy, to the majority who state willingness to be vaccinated. Intention for vaccine acceptance varies over time. COVID-19 vaccination decisions are influenced by many factors including knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs; social networks; communication environment; COVID-19 community rate; cultural and religious influences; ease of access; and the organization of health and community services and policies. Reflecting vaccine acceptance complexity, the Royal Society of Canada Working Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance developed a framework with four major factor domains that influence vaccine acceptance (people, communities, health care workers; immunization knowledge; health care and public health systems including federal/provincial/territorial/indigenous factors) - each influencing the others and all influenced by education, infection control, extent of collaborations, and communications about COVID-19 immunization. The Working Group then developed 37 interrelated recommendations to support COVID vaccine acceptance nested under four categories of responsibility: 1. People and Communities, 2. Health Care Workers, 3. Health Care System and Local Public Health Units, and 4. Federal/Provincial/Territorial/Indigenous. To optimize outcomes, all must be engaged to ensure co-development and broad ownership

Factors associated with parents’ experiences using a knowledge translation tool for vaccination pain management: a qualitative study

Background: Vaccination is a common painful procedure for children. Parents’ concern regarding vaccination pain is a significant driver of vaccine hesitancy. Despite the wealth of evidence-based practices available for managing vaccination pain, parents lack knowledge of, and access to, these strategies. Knowledge translation (KT) tools can communicate evidence-based information to parents, however little is known about what factors influence parents’ use of these tools. A two-page, electronic KT tool on psychological, physical, and pharmacological vaccination pain management strategies for children, was shared with parents as part of a larger mixed methods study, using explanatory sequential design, exploring factors related to uptake of this KT tool. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand what influenced parents’ perceptions of the relevance of the KT tool, as well as their decision as to whether to use the tool. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used. A total of 20 parents of children aged 0–17 years (n = 19 mothers) reviewed the KT tool ahead of their child’s upcoming vaccination and participated in a semi-structured interview at follow-up. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis using an inductive approach. Results: The analysis generated three interrelated themes which described factors related to parents’ use of the KT tool: (1) Relevance to parents’ needs and circumstances surrounding their child’s vaccination; (2) Alignment with parents’ personal values around, and experiences with, vaccination pain management (e.g., the importance of managing pain); and (3) Support from the clinical environment for implementing evidence-based strategies (e.g., physical clinical environment and quality of interactions with the health care provider). Conclusions: Several factors were identified as central to parents’ use of the KT tool, including the information itself and the clinical environment. When the tool was perceived as relevant, aligned with parents’ values, and was supported by health care providers, parents were more inclined to use the KT tool to manage their children’s vaccination pain. Future research could explore other factors related to promoting engagement and uptake when creating parent-directed KT tools for a range of health-related contexts