General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study
Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory infections. With newly approved RSV immunisations for infants and older adults, understanding general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions is crucial for effective implementation of immunisation strategies. Methods: We co...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590136225000841 |
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| author | Sarah F. Hak Roderick P. Venekamp Tamara Platteel Louis J. Bont Joanne G. Wildenbeest Sibyl Anthierens |
| author_facet | Sarah F. Hak Roderick P. Venekamp Tamara Platteel Louis J. Bont Joanne G. Wildenbeest Sibyl Anthierens |
| author_sort | Sarah F. Hak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory infections. With newly approved RSV immunisations for infants and older adults, understanding general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions is crucial for effective implementation of immunisation strategies. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study to explore GPs' perceptions of the RSV disease burden and their views on RSV immunisation. Thirteen GPs from the Netherlands participated in semi-structured remote interviews (May–October 2024). Interviews were video-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic and framework analysis, applying the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify behavioural influences. Results: GPs predominantly associate RSV with bronchiolitis in infants, recognizing a substantial disease burden in this population. GPs largely support infant RSV immunisation, though not universally as top priority. Contrary, GPs report limited clinical recognition of RSV in older adults and express significant uncertainty about its incidence and severity. This drives a general assumption of low disease burden in older adults and low perceived need for RSV immunisation. GPs stress the need for targeted education on RSV epidemiology and immunisation options to better guide (parental) decision-making. They also highlight the importance of public awareness campaigns and broader vaccine confidence initiatives to optimise uptake. Conclusions: GPs largely support RSV immunisation for infants, given the evident disease burden, but emphasise the need for RSV education to strengthen their advisory role. Uncertainty about the RSV burden in older adults limits their support for immunisation in this population, with GPs suggesting that a clearer understanding of the disease's impact is necessary first. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-145a99a84b0142dcb390b7cebd71ce68 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2590-1362 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccine: X |
| spelling | doaj-art-145a99a84b0142dcb390b7cebd71ce682025-08-20T03:38:24ZengElsevierVaccine: X2590-13622025-08-012510069010.1016/j.jvacx.2025.100690General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview studySarah F. Hak0Roderick P. Venekamp1Tamara Platteel2Louis J. Bont3Joanne G. Wildenbeest4Sibyl Anthierens5Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/University Medical Centre Utrecht, Lundlaan 6, 3584EA Utrecht, The Netherlands.Department of General Practice & Nursing Science, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of General Practice & Nursing Science, Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Family Medicine & Population Health, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, BelgiumBackground: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory infections. With newly approved RSV immunisations for infants and older adults, understanding general practitioners' (GPs) perceptions is crucial for effective implementation of immunisation strategies. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study to explore GPs' perceptions of the RSV disease burden and their views on RSV immunisation. Thirteen GPs from the Netherlands participated in semi-structured remote interviews (May–October 2024). Interviews were video-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic and framework analysis, applying the Theoretical Domains Framework to identify behavioural influences. Results: GPs predominantly associate RSV with bronchiolitis in infants, recognizing a substantial disease burden in this population. GPs largely support infant RSV immunisation, though not universally as top priority. Contrary, GPs report limited clinical recognition of RSV in older adults and express significant uncertainty about its incidence and severity. This drives a general assumption of low disease burden in older adults and low perceived need for RSV immunisation. GPs stress the need for targeted education on RSV epidemiology and immunisation options to better guide (parental) decision-making. They also highlight the importance of public awareness campaigns and broader vaccine confidence initiatives to optimise uptake. Conclusions: GPs largely support RSV immunisation for infants, given the evident disease burden, but emphasise the need for RSV education to strengthen their advisory role. Uncertainty about the RSV burden in older adults limits their support for immunisation in this population, with GPs suggesting that a clearer understanding of the disease's impact is necessary first.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590136225000841General practiceRespiratory syncytial virusAcute respiratory infectionImmunisationVaccination |
| spellingShingle | Sarah F. Hak Roderick P. Venekamp Tamara Platteel Louis J. Bont Joanne G. Wildenbeest Sibyl Anthierens General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study Vaccine: X General practice Respiratory syncytial virus Acute respiratory infection Immunisation Vaccination |
| title | General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study |
| title_full | General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study |
| title_fullStr | General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study |
| title_full_unstemmed | General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study |
| title_short | General practitioners' perceptions of the burden of RSV and views on RSV immunisation – a qualitative interview study |
| title_sort | general practitioners perceptions of the burden of rsv and views on rsv immunisation a qualitative interview study |
| topic | General practice Respiratory syncytial virus Acute respiratory infection Immunisation Vaccination |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590136225000841 |
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