Vaccination plays a crucial role in transplant care, particularly for kidney transplant recipients who face numerous complications and daily challenges, including the risk of organ rejection. To prevent rejection, kidney transplant recipients must take daily antirejection medications, which, while necessary, weaken their immune system and heighten vulnerability to severe infections. Vaccines are vital in reducing the risk of serious illness and mortality among these individuals. Despite these benefits, seasonal influenza vaccine uptake remains insufficient in this population, highlighting the urgent need to better understand vaccine hesitancy and develop strategies to enhance vaccination acceptance.
This research aims to improve post-kidney transplant vaccine uptake to improve health outcomes in this population. To do this, we will explore vaccine hesitancy and behaviour to inform the development of strategies to increase vaccine uptake. We will conduct a mixed-methods study to complete the following objectives: (1) Understand the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and vaccine-related behaviours amongst kidney transplant recipients; (2) Examine perspectives of knowledge users on barriers and facilitators to influenza vaccine uptake amongst kidney transplant recipients in Nova Scotia; (3) Co-design tailored implementation strategies to support influenza vaccine uptake in kidney transplant recipients with knowledge users.
The study will begin with a questionnaire to assess influenza vaccine hesitancy, followed by interviews with kidney transplant recipients, nurses, pharmacists, and physicians, to further explore influenza vaccine hesitancy and determinants of vaccine behaviour. These research findings will be integrated to identify implementation strategies to improve influenza vaccine uptake. Finally, co-design workshops will be held to assess and finalize the implementation strategies. The research findings will provide an improved understanding of influenza vaccine hesitancy in kidney transplant recipients and identify strategies to support the vaccine’s uptake. A person with lived experience of having a kidney transplant will be included as a member of the research advisory committee.
Eligibility
- Adult (18 years or older)
- Kidney transplant recipient
Time Commitment
Summer 2025 until Winter 2027
The advisory committee will meet approximately 4-5 times throughout the study, with communication between meetings. This will be to provide feedback and insight throughout the study at critical timepoints, including prior to starting data collection/analysis, following data collection/analysis and before the conclusion of the study. Each meeting is expected to be 1-2 hours, and the primary researcher will send monthly email updates. There will be a few things to review via email prior to meetings (e.g. data collection instruments).
Compensation
Compensation will be provided.