“I know how important it is”: A qualitative analysis of participants’ experiences in a vaccine safety study

Abstract

Specialist immunization clinics can support vaccination counseling for individuals experiencing adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) and research into AEFIs. We sought to describe the experiences of participants from the Canadian Special Immunization Clinic Network COVID-19 vaccine safety study. Qualitative interviews were conducted about participants' experiences with COVID-19 vaccination, developing an AEFI, and enrolling in a research study. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive descriptive methods guided by the socio-ecological model. Three women and five men, ages 22-59 y, were interviewed. After experiencing AEFIs, participants largely continued to trust in science and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, though some felt they had not been adequately informed about the potential risks of COVID-19 vaccination. They also reported hesitation from healthcare providers to attribute their symptoms to the vaccine and difficulty accessing care for their AEFI. While participants expressed a desire to assist research efforts into AEFIs, challenges included complicated consent procedures and apprehensions regarding privacy. Improving diagnosis and care of individuals with AEFIs and strengthening research efforts will require changes at organizational and policy levels, including enhanced clinician training on AEFIs and simplifying research consent processes, as well as individual and community-level interventions to tailor communication and strengthen interactions between clinicians and vaccine recipients.