Identifying Preferred Features of Influenza Vaccination Programs Among Chinese Clinicians Practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine: Discrete Choice Experiment.

Abstract

Background: Achieving high vaccine coverage among clinicians is crucial to curb the spread of influenza. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), rooted in cultural symbols and concepts without direct parallels in modern Western medicine, may influence perspectives on vaccination. Therefore, understanding the preferences of TCM clinicians towards influenza vaccines is of great importance.

Objective: To understand preferences for features of influenza vaccination programs and identify the optimal influenza vaccination program among clinicians practicing TCM and Western medicine.

Methods: We conducted a discrete choice experiment with a national sample of 3085 Chinese clinicians from various hospital levels (n=1013 practicing TCM) from January to May 2022. Simulations from choice models using the experimental data generated the coefficients of preference and predicted the uptake rate of different influenza vaccination programs. Clinicians were grouped by vaccine preference classification through a latent class analysis.

Results: All included attributes significantly influenced clinicians' preferences for choosing an influenza vaccination program. An approximate hypothetical 60% increase of vaccine uptake could be obtained when the attitude of the workplace changed from "no notice" to "encouraging of vaccination"; there was an approximate hypothetical 35% increase of vaccine uptake when vaccination campaign strategies changed from "individual appointment" to "vaccination in a workplace setting." In the entire sample, about 30% (946/3085) of clinicians preferred free vaccinations, while 26.5% (819/3085) comprehensively considered all attributes, except vaccination campaign strategies, when making a decision about choosing an influenza vaccination program. Clinicians who practiced TCM, worked in tertiary hospital, or had at least a postgraduate degree exhibited a lower preference for free vaccinations. Clinicians who practiced Western medicine, worked in primary hospital, or had at most a bachelor's degree had a higher preference for vaccinations in workplace settings.

Conclusions: Offering a range of influenza vaccination programs targeting the preferred attributes of different clinician groups could potentially encourage more clinicians, including those practicing TCM, to participate in influenza vaccination programs.