Work

Covid-19 vaccine apps should deliver more to patients

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Pharmaceutical manufacturers and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rely on mobile phone apps and adverse event reporting websites as the primary means of active surveillance from patients for COVID-19 vaccines.1 However, digital tools for side-effect surveillance emphasise data collection over providing user feedback, and public misperceptions might influence what is reported and the causal attributions. Preliminary evidence shows that traditional fact-checking approaches to side-effect misinformation can backfire by establishing unsound causal connections; when submitted to health authorities, plausible reports of biological harm might be dismissed if they are tinged with misperceptions.

Source: The Lancet Digital Health

DOI: 10.1016/s2589-7500(21)00021-2

Authors: Nabarun Dasgupta, Allison Lazard, John S Brownstein

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: Pharmacovigilance and Adverse Drug Reactions

Subfield: Toxicology

Field: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,000