Vaccine: X · Published 2026-04-27 · DOI 10.1016/j.jvacx.2026.100808
Background: The conceptual frameworks underpinning the construct of vaccine hesitancy draw from multiple strands of research in public health and the behavioral sciences. These frameworks emphasize the individual and highlight the primacy of psychological determinants in explaining behaviors such as vaccine resistance and vaccine uptake. The Rapid Qualitative Assessment on Vaccination (RQA_VAX) is a tool developed by Médecins Sans Frontières to provide timely, context-specific insights into the social, cultural, political, and historical factors shaping vaccination practices. Summary: Between 2021 and 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières's operational centre in Brussels has been developing an applied qualitative assessment tool as well as training material to enable non-specialists to collect and analyze data on the vaccination decision making process. We describe how the RQA_VAX tool was developed and present three MSF operational case studies illustrating how MSF teams used it in the field. Conclusion: The RQA_VAX tool represents an attempt to apply social science method to humanitarian vaccination programs. Despite its limitations, RQA_vax can contribute to a better understanding of vaccination decision-making, thereby facilitating a more effective incorporation of the community perspective in immunization programs.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
Read the article at the publisher →