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COVID-19NCT05926544

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Counseling Intervention for Pharmacists

A study testing Standard implementation webinar and online training and Virtual facilitation in people with COVID-19, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
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Trial summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if virtual facilitation (e.g., video coaching) increases rural pharmacists' ability to implement COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy counseling when compared to a "standard" implementation approach (e.g., training and dissemination of implementation support tools) in rural pharmacies. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
COVID-19
What is being tested?
Standard implementation webinar and online training and Virtual facilitation
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
16 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
4 Oct 2023to 20 Jun 2024
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • The pharmacy must be a member of the Rural Research Alliance for Community Pharmacies (RURAL-CP)
  • The pharmacy must be located in a county that has an African American population of at least 32.9% or had at least 58% of the population vote for a Republican president in 2020.

Who cannot join

  • The pharmacy will be excluded if it does not offer COVID-19 primary series or booster vaccines.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Community Pharmacies Reducing Disparities Through an Implementation Science Approach

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if virtual facilitation (e.g., video coaching) increases rural pharmacists' ability to implement COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy counseling when compared to a "standard" implementation approach (e.g., training and dissemination of implementation support tools) in rural pharmacies. The main question it aims to answer is if virtual facilitation improves fidelity to a newly developed vaccine hesitancy counseling intervention when compared to standard implementation.

All participants will begin in the standard implementation condition, where they will complete a webinar on COVID-19 vaccinations and a 30-minute online training on vaccine hesitancy communication. After standard implementation, they will switch to the virtual facilitation condition where they will be assigned a virtual coach to help them with implementing the intervention. There will be four fidelity observations per each 8-week intervention period to determine whether pharmacists are implementing the intervention as intended. Researchers will compare fidelity between the standard and virtual facilitation conditions.

Read the detailed description

Because COVID-19 vaccination conversations are sensitive and often politically charged, pharmacists need implementation support, including training and ongoing guidance to deliver evidence-based vaccine hesitancy counseling interventions. Implementation facilitation, in which trained facilitators coach and troubleshoot problems with professionals as they implement new practices, increases adoption of practices with fidelity. However, implementation facilitation generally, and virtual facilitation (e.g., video coaching) in particular, has not been systematically studied in community pharmacy settings.

The goal of this study is to test if virtual facilitation increases rural pharmacists' ability to implement COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy counseling when compared to a "standard" implementation approach (e.g., training and dissemination of implementation support tools). Using a rural pharmacy practice-based research network (PBRN) that spans 7 southeastern states, the investigators will conduct a stepped-wedge trial with 30 rural pharmacies to test whether virtual facilitation outperforms the standard approach in increasing the fidelity with which pharmacists implement the vaccine hesitancy counseling intervention. Using a project-sponsored data collection system, the investigators will gather data on implementation outcomes, including fidelity and effectiveness.

All participants will begin in the standard implementation condition, where they will complete a webinar on COVID-19 vaccinations and a 30-minute online training on vaccine hesitancy communication. After the standard implementation period, they will crossover to the virtual facilitation condition where they will be assigned a virtual coach to help them with implementing the intervention. There will be four fidelity observations per each 8-week intervention period to determine whether pharmacists are implementing the intervention as intended. Researchers will compare fidelity between the standard and virtual facilitation conditions. Based on a proposed Fall 2023 vaccine administration schedule by the Federal Drug Administration, we anticipate implementing the study over two vaccination seasons (Fall 2023 and Fall 2024).

Conditions
COVID-19
Being tested
Standard implementation webinar and online training, Virtual facilitation
Keywords
vaccine hesitancy, fidelity, vaccination
Medical subject headings
COVID-19, Vaccination Hesitancy

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Standard implementation webinar and online trainingBehavioural

    The one-hour webinar (either live or pre-recorded) will include updated information about the COVID-19 virus, variant nomenclature, booster eligibility, mechanisms of action, and outcomes.

    The 30-minute online training addresses how to communicate about COVID-19 vaccinations, presents a 5-step process for initiating conversations, includes example verbiage about how to address specific concerns, and has example videos that show how to implement the 5-step process with vaccine hesitant patients.

  • Virtual facilitationBehavioural

    This intervention involves a 30-minute virtual facilitation site visit and 8 30-minute virtual facilitator coaching sessions. The virtual site visit over Zoom will establish the personnel and workflows at each pharmacy and allow the facilitator to establish rapport. Weekly Zoom calls will allow the virtual facilitator to work with a participant to review overall implementation challenges associated with approaching patients, delivering the intervention, and documenting results. Lastly, either the facilitator or the participant can request and schedule a Zoom call to go over any pressing implementation issue in need of rapid attention (e.g., technical difficulties with the website).

Study groups in NCT05926544
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Standard implementation (Stage 1)ExperimentalParticipants begin with the standard implementation interventions for 8-16 weeks, depending on random block assignment.
Receives: Behavioral: Standard implementation webinar and online training
Virtual facilitation (Stage 2)ExperimentalAfter completing the standard implementation, participants then complete the virtual facilitation intervention for 8-16 weeks, depending on random block assignment.
Receives: Behavioral: Virtual facilitation

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Mean Fidelity Score

    The fidelity measure focuses on the competence and skill of the pharmacist (7 items with values ranging from 1 to 3) in their delivery of the vaccine hesitancy counseling intervention. Items assess whether they expressed empathy, used non-confrontational manner, spoke confidently without using jargon, emphasized patient autonomy, reflected back patient's statements accurately, and used a respectful demeanor. The overall composite competency score is the sum of the 7 items with scores ranging from 7 to 21, with higher scores reflecting greater competency in the delivery of the vaccine hesitancy intervention. Fidelity will be measured for each pharmacist four times per each 8-week intervention period under the standard implementation approach and the virtual facilitation approach. In pharmacies with more than one pharmacist, fidelity ratings will be averaged to achieve a pharmacy-level measure.

    Measured: From baseline through the end of the virtual facilitation periods, up to 24 weeks max.

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Proportion of Individuals Receiving Vaccine Hesitancy Counseling Who Chose to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine

    Effectiveness will be calculated as the proportion of patients who received the vaccine hesitancy counseling intervention who chose to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Pharmacists at each pharmacy were asked to document 30 conversations (10 per 8-week period). Pharmacists documented whether each of the patients elected to get the COVID-19 vaccine after their conversation.

    Measured: From baseline through the end of the virtual facilitation periods, up to 24 weeks maximum

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted3 Jul 2023
  2. Study start4 Oct 2023
  3. Primary completion20 Jun 2024
  4. Study completion20 Jun 2024

Why it stopped: Not receiving primary outcome data needed

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Sequential
Model description
The investigators will use an incomplete stepped wedge cluster randomized design, where units (pharmacies) begin in one condition (standard implementation approach) and "crossover" to the other condition (virtual facilitation).
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
16 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05926544
Sponsor's protocol ID
22-2602a
Other IDs
1R01MD018085
Status last verified
Mar 2025
First submitted
28 Jun 2023
Last updated
14 Jan 2026
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Deidentified individual data that supports the results will be shared beginning 9 to 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with UNC.

Publications

  • Curran GM, Shoemaker SJ. Advancing pharmacy practice through implementation science. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2017 Sep-Oct;13(5):889-891. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2017.05.018. Epub 2017 Jun 1. No abstract available.

    PubMed 28619650
  • Bauer MS, Miller CJ, Kim B, Lew R, Stolzmann K, Sullivan J, Riendeau R, Pitcock J, Williamson A, Connolly S, Elwy AR, Weaver K. Effectiveness of Implementing a Collaborative Chronic Care Model for Clinician Teams on Patient Outcomes and Health Status in Mental Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Mar 1;2(3):e190230. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.0230.

    PubMed 30821830
  • Curran GM, Mukherjee S, Allee E, Owen RR. A process for developing an implementation intervention: QUERI Series. Implement Sci. 2008 Mar 19;3:17. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-3-17.

    PubMed 18353186
  • Knox L. Module 2: Practice Facilitation as a Resource for Practice Improvement. In: Quality AfHRa, ed. pcmh.ahrq.gov: AHRQ; 2015.

  • Parchman ML, Noel PH, Culler SD, Lanham HJ, Leykum LK, Romero RL, Palmer RF. A randomized trial of practice facilitation to improve the delivery of chronic illness care in primary care: initial and sustained effects. Implement Sci. 2013 Aug 22;8:93. doi: 10.1186/1748-5908-8-93.

    PubMed 23965255
  • Curran G, Mosley C, Gamble A, Painter J, Ounpraseuth S, Brewer NT, Teeter B, Smith M, Halladay J, Hughes T, Shepherd JG, Hastings T, Simpson K, Carpenter D. Addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in rural community pharmacies: a protocol for a stepped wedge randomized clinical trial. Implement Sci. 2023 Dec 18;18(1):72. doi: 10.1186/s13012-023-01327-7.

    PubMed 38110979

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Standard implementation webinar and online training and Virtual facilitation in people with COVID-19, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 14 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 24 Jun 2025). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Mean Fidelity Score (time frame: From baseline through the end of the virtual facilitation periods, up to 24 weeks max.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05926544, which also lists 6 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 14 Jan 2026.

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