ABSTRACT
Purpose: Disinformation on social media is a serious issue. This study examines the effects of disinformation on COVID-19 vaccination decision-making to understand how social media users make healthcare decisions when disinformation is presented in their social media feeds. It examines trust in post owners as a moderator on the relationship between information types (i.e. disinformation and factual information) and vaccination decision-making. Design/methodology/approach: This study conducts a scenario-based web survey experiment to collect extensive survey data from social media users. Findings: This study reveals that information types differently affect social media users' COVID-19 vaccination decision-making and finds a moderating effect of trust in post owners on the relationship between information types and vaccination decision-making. For those who have a high degree of trust in post owners, the effect of information types on vaccination decision-making becomes large. In contrast, information types do not affect the decision-making of those who have a very low degree of trust in post owners. Besides, identification and compliance are found to affect trust in post owners. Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature on online disinformation and individual healthcare decision-making by demonstrating the effect of disinformation on vaccination decision-making and providing empirical evidence on how trust in post owners impacts the effects of information types on vaccination decision-making. This study focuses on trust in post owners, unlike prior studies that focus on trust in information or social media platforms. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
The conducted analysis of civil law grounds on the need and possibility of vaccination against Covid'19 in Ukraine made it possible to determine the categories of workers subject to compulsory vaccination, as well as a list of medical contraindications and warnings to vaccination against Covid'19. Developed Covid'19 vaccination decision-making method based on civil law provides: a conclusion on the mandatory or optional depending on the profession and place of work of the patient (but desirability) vaccination from Covid'19;conclusion on the possibility or contraindications to vaccination from Covid'19 - depending on the existing diseases and the current state of health of the patient;conclusion on the type of contraindication and its duration - in the case of a conclusion on contraindications to vaccination from Covid'19. Developed Covid'19 vaccination decision-making subsystem based on civil law provides a conclusion on whether or not vaccination from Covid'19 is mandatory or optional from the point of view of profession and place of work (but desirability);conclusion on the possibility or contraindications to vaccination from Covid'19;conclusion on the type of contraindication and its duration. So the subsystem will be useful for patients who, truthfully answering questions from the subsystem, will receive a conclusion on the need and possibility of vaccination from Covid'19 them or their relatives, as well as for family physicians, which will reduce the burden during patient counselling and make it easier to answer questions about the need and possibility of vaccination, as they will no longer need to know all the current legislation and civil law. Copyright © 2022 for this paper by its authors.