COVID-19 vaccination perceptions in rheumatology patients: a cross-sectional online survey

To identify the factors that impact COVID-19 vaccine decision-making in individuals diagnosed with a rheumatologic condition, given that previous international studies have demonstrated that a significant proportion of rheumatology patients are vaccine hesitant.This cross-sectional study involved an online survey with adult rheumatology patients from the Kaye Edmonton Clinic Rheumatology Clinic between June and August 2021. Quantitative results were descriptively analyzed, while qualitative thematic analysis was conducted for open-ended responses.The survey had a response rate of 70.9% (n= 231). Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, rheumatology patients were most concerned about the possible impact of vaccination on their rheumatic condition (45.2%), and concerns of vaccine effectiveness (45.1%). Most patients had discussed COVID-19 vaccination (75.9%) and its risks and benefits (66.1%) with their medical team and 83.6% of respondents were confident in the information provided. Patients' perceptions of the government's role in handling COVID-19 pandemic varied, 33% reported they found government-instituted public health measures effective. Surprisingly, 9.7% of rheumatology patients still reported concerns that they could develop COVID-19 from an approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.This study describes factors implicated in COVID-19 vaccine decision-making in rheumatology patients. Three important themes were possible adverse effect of vaccine on rheumatic disease control, reduced vaccine efficacy due to rheumatic disease/treatment, and risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 from the COVID-19 vaccine. Knowledge from this study can assist healthcare providers looking after rheumatology patients to initiate discussions with patients to share evidence-based vaccine information and assist informed decision-making.