The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Rheumatic Disease

COVID-19 Vaccination in Patients with Rheumatic Disease

August 11, 2021 • By Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Racial Inequities

Specific concerns and life experiences more common among some groups may influence minority patients’ perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines and their personal willingness to be vaccinated.

You Might Also Like
  • COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies Suggested for Patients on Anti-Rheumatic Immunosuppressive Therapy
  • Town Hall Provides Tools to Guide Patients Unsure About COVID-19 Vaccination
  • Patients with Rheumatic Disease May Experience Flares after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
Explore This Issue
August 2021
Also By This Author
  • Telehealth Brings Opportunities to Enhance Patient Care

“The old pandemic of social injustice is happening at the same time as the new pandemic of COVID-19. So that is impacting vaccine deliberations and what our patients are thinking about,” said Dr. Manning. It’s important to acknowledge the valid, historical reasons an individual from a minority group may think others may not have their best interests in mind. For example, Dr. Manning referenced the infamous Tuskegee study of syphilis patients in Macon, Ala., in which Black men were not adequately informed about their condition, nor offered effective treatment when penicillin became available in 1943.2

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Historical inequities may lead some minority patients to have concerns that they may be unfairly and unsafely being used as test subjects, even today, Dr. Blanco noted. It does not help that rheumatology, like many medical specialties, is not very diverse. “I think, like many medical fields, we have a hard time having those difficult conversations around race, especially when providers are not racially concordant with [their] patients,” she said.

One of most important things a provider without racial concordance can do is to sincerely acknowledge the terrible experiences of minority communities in medical and other settings. From there, a real conversation can begin. “I think it goes wrong when people brush over [the topic] because it is so uncomfortable,” Dr. Manning said.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Physicians can also consider and voice their own differences in background. For example, a white male rheumatologist may verbally acknowledge his own privilege and say that, because of his life experiences, he may have different worries and perceptions from his patient. “That can mean a lot to your patient and really make people feel seen,” said Dr. Manning. From there, providers can let their patients know they are available to provide support and answer their questions about the vaccine.

The ACR has an extensive list of vacci­nation resources for providers talking to their patients, including a patient-focused infographic.

References

  1. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html.
  2. https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm.

Pages: 1 2 3 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Patient Perspective Tagged With: COVID-19, patient communication, vaccination, vaccine hesitancyIssue: August 2021

You Might Also Like:
  • COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies Suggested for Patients on Anti-Rheumatic Immunosuppressive Therapy
  • Town Hall Provides Tools to Guide Patients Unsure About COVID-19 Vaccination
  • Patients with Rheumatic Disease May Experience Flares after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
  • COVID-19 Vaccination Induces T Cell Response in Patients Treated with Rituximab

About Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD, was born and raised in eastern Kentucky, where she first cultivated her love of literature, writing and personal narratives. She attended Kenyon college, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, summa cum laude. She worked with individuals with psychiatric conditions and later in a neuroscience lab at the University of Illinois, Chicago, before graduating from Indiana University Medical School in 2011. Instead of pursuing clinical medicine, Ruth opted to build on her strength of clearly explaining medical topics though a career as a freelance medical writer, writing both for lay people and for health professionals. She writes across the biomedical sciences, but holds strong interests in rheumatology, neurology, autoimmune diseases, genetics, and the intersection of broader social, cultural and emotional contexts with biomedical topics. Ruth now lives in Bloomington, Ind., with her husband, son and cat. She can be contacted via her website at ruthjessenhickman.com.

View more by this author»

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)