Public's perspective on COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccines after thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) reports and associated regulatory actions - A cross-sectional study in six EU member states.

OBJECTIVE: In 2021, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) was confirmed by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as a rare side effect of the COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccines Vaxzevria® and Jcovden®. This study aimed to describe the public's knowledge of TTS and how it affected the willingness to be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines in six European countries. METHODS: From June to October of 2022, a multi-country cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, and Slovenia. The minimum target of participants to be recruited was based on the size of the country's population. The results were analysed descriptively. RESULTS: In total, 3794 respondents were included in the analysis; across the six countries, 33.3 %-68.3 % reported being familiar with signs and symptoms of TTS, although 3.1-61.4 % of those were able to identify the symptoms correctly. The reported changes in willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and with other vaccines varied per country. The largest reported change in the willingness to be vaccinated with Vaxzevria® and Jcovden® was observed in Denmark (61.2 %), while the willingness to be vaccinated with other COVID-19 vaccines changed most in Slovenia (30.4 %). The smallest decrease in willingness towards future vaccination against COVID-19 was reported in the Netherlands (20.9 %) contrasting with the largest decrease observed in Latvia (69.1 %). CONCLUSION: Knowledge about TTS seemed to have influenced the public's opinion in Europe resulting in less willingness to be vaccinated with Vaxzevria® and Jcovden®. Willingness for vaccination against COVID-19 with other vaccines and widespread use of vaccines to prevent other diseases also differed and seemed to be determined by the approaches taken by national health authorities when reacting to and communicating about COVID-19 vaccination risks. Further investigation of optimal risk communication strategies is warranted.

Community Pharmacy Staff's Knowledge, Educational Needs, and Barriers Related to Counseling Cancer Patients and Cancer Survivors in Denmark.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine Danish community pharmacy staff's knowledge, educational needs, and barriers when communicating with cancer patients/survivors. Furthermore, the study investigated whether pharmacy staff was interested in participating in education about cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among community pharmacy staff (pharmacists and pharmaconomists) in Denmark. Descriptive and bivariate (t-test and chi-square) statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In total, 134 staff members responded to the questionnaire. Their self-reported knowledge of cancer-related topics was between 'very little knowledge' and 'some knowledge'. The most well-known topics concerned risk factors for cancer and side effects from cancer treatments. The importance of learning more about the same topics was rated between 'important' and 'very important'. The largest barriers identified in counseling cancer patients/survivors were a lack of knowledge about cancer, a focus on healthcare problems other than cancer, and a traditional view of community pharmacies as a place to pick up medication. Pharmacy staff expressed interest in participating in educational programs about cancer treatment (91.0%), communication with cancer patients (88.1%), and late effects of cancer (93.3%). CONCLUSION: Community pharmacy staff show interest in participating in education regarding cancer, but need more knowledge to properly counsel cancer patients and survivors at the community pharmacies. This important barrier should be addressed in future educational programs for community pharmacy staff.