TY - JOUR
T1 - Pharmacists and COVID-19 vaccination – Considering mobile phone caller tunes as a novel approach to promote vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries
AU - Appiah, Bernard
AU - Asamoah-Akuoko, Lucy
AU - France, Christopher
AU - Rene, Antonio
AU - Amanquah, Nathan
AU - Bates, Imelda
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - As several low- and middle-income countries roll out their COVID-19 vaccination programmes, COVID-19 vaccines hesitancy could threaten the success of such programmes. But pharmacists can play a leading role in addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by using a critical mobile phone-based technology. This technology, known as caller tunes or ringback tones, is flourishing in low- and middle-income countries such as those in Africa and Asia where it is used to promote popular songs and religious messages. With this technology, callers to mobile phones hear a message or a song instead of the typical ringing sound. There is a need for pharmacists associations to collaborate with the creative arts industry and telecommunication companies to have caller tunes on COVID-19 vaccines. As pharmacists and others download COVID-19 vaccine caller tunes onto their mobile phones, their callers will hear COVID-19 vaccines messages or songs. This could help combat disinformation and hesitancy, and promote widespread vaccination as availability increases.
AB - As several low- and middle-income countries roll out their COVID-19 vaccination programmes, COVID-19 vaccines hesitancy could threaten the success of such programmes. But pharmacists can play a leading role in addressing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by using a critical mobile phone-based technology. This technology, known as caller tunes or ringback tones, is flourishing in low- and middle-income countries such as those in Africa and Asia where it is used to promote popular songs and religious messages. With this technology, callers to mobile phones hear a message or a song instead of the typical ringing sound. There is a need for pharmacists associations to collaborate with the creative arts industry and telecommunication companies to have caller tunes on COVID-19 vaccines. As pharmacists and others download COVID-19 vaccine caller tunes onto their mobile phones, their callers will hear COVID-19 vaccines messages or songs. This could help combat disinformation and hesitancy, and promote widespread vaccination as availability increases.
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85111911480&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.07.022
DO - 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.07.022
M3 - Comment/Debate/Erratum
C2 - 34362688
AN - SCOPUS:85111911480
SN - 1551-7411
VL - 18
SP - 2898
EP - 2903
JO - Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
JF - Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
IS - 5
ER -