A Scoping Review Involving Six English-Language Searches of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Japanese Healthcare Providers Limited to Peer-Reviewed Publications

Abstract

Carol Nash

A recent publication regarding a March 2023 Google Scholar search found Japan unique in healthcare providers’ reaction to COVID-19 vaccines, with negative sentiment by healthcare providers toward vaccines defining the research in this area and concerns about side effects outweighing worries regarding infection. This current study investigates the anomaly through a scoping review of “COVID-19, Japan, vaccine hesitancy” in English-language peer-reviewed publications of six searches: Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register, OVID, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. By following PRISMA guidelines, the intent is a more thorough examination of this unusual evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines by Japanese healthcare providers than offered by the March 2023 search. The finding is that of the 997 returns, only four were relevant for assessment inclusion. Of these four, three, published in Vaccines, support vaccine hesitancy in Japanese healthcare providers and their becoming more so regarding a subsequent dose of the vaccine. One article published in BMJ Open did not find this. Yet, the design of none of the studies was specific to investigating vaccine hesitancy in Japanese healthcare providers, making the conclusion questionable. Suggested future research directions include investigating the primacy of those databases searched and the need for timeliness in examining COVID-19 anomalies.

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