{"id":20641,"date":"2026-07-31T10:33:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/primary-care-responses-to-vaccine-refusal-insights-from-a-qualitative-study-among-family-physicians\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:33:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:33:08","slug":"primary-care-responses-to-vaccine-refusal-insights-from-a-qualitative-study-among-family-physicians","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/primary-care-responses-to-vaccine-refusal-insights-from-a-qualitative-study-among-family-physicians\/","title":{"rendered":"Primary Care Responses to Vaccine Refusal: Insights from a Qualitative Study Among Family Physicians"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Vaccine refusal has become an increasing public health challenge in T\u00fcrkiye and globally, jeopardizing herd immunity and complicating the delivery of preventive services. Family physicians (FPs), frequently encounter parents who reject childhood vaccines. Understanding how FPs perceive vaccine refusal, and which strategies they employ is essential for strengthening primary care\u2013based immunization services.This study aimed to explore the experiences, communication processes, and coping strategies of FPs confronted with vaccine refusal.A qualitative phenomenological design was used. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with FPs working in Family Health Centers in T\u00fcrkiye. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis with MAXQDA 24. Codes, categories, and overarching themes were developed iteratively through an inductive approach.FPs reported encountering vaccine refusal with variable frequency, most commonly driven by misinformation, religious concerns, fear of adverse effects, distrust in the health system, and social media influence. FPs employed multiple coping strategies: 1- Educational and evidence-based counseling, universally applied; 2- Empathic and patient-centered communication techniques, including motivational dialogue; 3- Pragmatic or sanction-oriented approaches in selected cases (e.g., documentation requests, repeated scheduled visits). Vaccine refusal generated emotional strain, moral distress, and workload burden among FPs. System-level gaps\u2014such as limited consultation time, absence of standardized guidance materials, and inadequate institutional support\u2014further complicated case management.This study shows that vaccine refusal in primary care is shaped by misinformation, socio-cultural factors, and limited systemic support. Although FPs frequently use evidence-based counseling and empathic communication, these strategies alone are often insufficient for changing parental decisions. The emotional and professional strain reported by physicians highlights the need for structured national guidance, improved communication training, and stronger organizational support.FPs\u2019 experiences in this study show that vaccine refusal is shaped by misinformation, socio-cultural factors, and limited institutional support. Their perspectives highlight that evidence-based explanations and empathic communication help but are often insufficient to change parental decisions. According to physicians, effective management of vaccine refusal requires stronger system-level support, clearer national guidance, and enhanced training to empower primary care in this growing public health challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20641","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}