Trust and one-to-one conversations were among the strongest themes in interviews about how health professionals handle vaccine hesitancy, a qualitative study in north central Florida reports. The interviews also repeatedly touched on misinformation, including claims about COVID-19 vaccine risks and material spread through social media. The findings were used to shape a resource guide for providers, but the project did not test whether the guide changes what patients understand, decide or do.
The project began with a practical question: what information do local providers and health advocates need when patients are unsure about vaccines, and what kind of support could help with those conversations? A six-librarian team, supported by student research assistants, conducted Zoom interviews with 20 people working in clinical, administrative, community-health-worker and community-advocate roles.
What the interviews brought to the surface
The researchers reviewed interview transcripts through collaborative qualitative coding, a method that labels recurring ideas in text. Multiple rounds of review and comparison were used to promote agreement among coders and keep the labels consistent. The process produced 86 distinct codes, which were applied 1,725 times across the transcripts, or an average of 86 code instances per transcript.
The most frequently applied codes concerned reframing the conversation to reduce barriers, tailoring the discussion to the individual patient, trust and the patient-provider relationship. Those themes were recorded 93, 73, 62 and 57 times respectively. These are counts of coded passages, not measurements of how common vaccine hesitancy or any particular attitude is in the wider population.
Misinformation and disinformation was coded 43 times across 19 interviews. Participants described misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine risks and its spread on social media, while the authors reported increased distrust in COVID vaccinations. The count is a description of the interview material, not a measure of people’s exposure to misinformation, their level of distrust or vaccine uptake.
From interview themes to a provider guide
A second analysis focused on passages about information gaps and what patients need to know. It identified several possible formats for helping providers talk with people who are hesitant about vaccines. Participants valued information curated from authoritative and trusted local sources, including libraries and health care systems.
They also wanted materials that were printable, visual, colorful and eye-catching, with wording that could catch attention and versions available in Spanish. In response, the team designed a two-tab guide: one tab for general vaccine-hesitancy resources and another for resources addressing specific reasons for hesitancy identified in the interviews.
The guide was sent by email to clinics and other organizations involved in vaccination, including a network described as having more than 25 health organizations. The study did not measure how widely the guide was used or whether it improved provider confidence, the quality of conversations, patient understanding or vaccination rates.
Useful design clues, with a narrow reach
The findings offer design clues for librarians, health systems and providers building local information support, but they are not a population survey or an evaluation of the guide. Half of the participants were University of Florida College of Medicine faculty, and participants had pre-existing relationships with the library. The authors say that composition limits how confidently the lessons can be transferred to other providers and professions.
The project therefore supports a picture of what these interviewees considered useful in vaccine-hesitancy conversations. It does not show that trust-building, individualized discussions, reframing or any particular resource causes vaccination, and it does not establish that one format, source or language works better than another. Future testing would need to examine usability and effects on communication or vaccination outcomes.
Paper data and sources
Original title: Evidence-based design of vaccine hesitancy information resources for health care providers
Authors: Ansell M, Norton H, Stoyan-Rosenzweig N et al.
Journal/Repository: Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA
Status: Peer-reviewed
First online: 2026-10-19
DOI: Not available
Original paper · Full text