PREVALENCE OF VACCINE-COUNSELING CONFIDENCE AMONG MBBS STUDENTS DURING PEDIATRIC ROTATIONS AND CAREGIVER SATISFACTION
Keywords:
Caregivers, Communication, Confidence, Medical Students, Pediatrics, Vaccination, Vaccine HesitancyAbstract
Background: Vaccination remains one of the most effective public health interventions, yet vaccine hesitancy persists as a significant global challenge. Healthcare providers’ communication, particularly their confidence in counseling, has been shown to strongly influence caregiver perceptions and vaccine acceptance. Medical students during pediatric rotations often serve as frontline communicators with caregivers, but little is known about their confidence levels and the impact on caregiver satisfaction and vaccine intent.
Objective: To estimate counseling confidence among MBBS students during pediatric ward rotations and examine its association with caregiver satisfaction and vaccine intent.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted over four months in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Lahore. A total of 216 MBBS students and 216 caregivers were enrolled. Student confidence was measured using a Likert-scale based self-efficacy tool, caregiver satisfaction was assessed using a modified Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-18), and caregiver vaccine intent was recorded as positive, hesitant, or negative. Descriptive statistics summarized baseline characteristics, while Pearson’s correlation and chi-square tests assessed associations between variables.
Results: Among students, 26.9% reported low counseling confidence, 44.4% moderate, and 28.7% high. Caregiver satisfaction scores were favorable, with a mean overall score of 3.7 ± 0.5 on a 5-point scale. Vaccine intent was positive in 75.0% of caregivers, hesitant in 17.6%, and negative in 7.4%. Higher student counseling confidence was positively correlated with caregiver satisfaction (r = 0.42, p < 0.001) and significantly associated with positive vaccine intent (χ² = 18.7, p = 0.001).
Conclusion: MBBS students’ counseling confidence during pediatric rotations was strongly associated with caregiver satisfaction and vaccine intent. Strengthening communication training within medical education may enhance vaccine advocacy and improve pediatric healthcare delivery.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Majida Khan, Zubair Ahmad (Author)
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