Commentary: 'I’m tired of hearing about anti-vaxxers. They’re loud, they’re wrong, and, after persisting through two years of the deadliest public health crisis in recent memory, I’m pretty sure they’re here to stay,' writes soupmd_
. And to an extent, I get it. The unvaccinated are not only causing harm, but, in many ways, they are the people most visibly standing between us and any real possibility of a return to normal. Our empathy for these people, much like our tolerance of the pandemic, is on its last leg. How might losing our empathy for this group affect the care we provide?
[In] watching the responses of my peers to patients who are anti-vaxxers, I’ve begun to worry for this group in a new way, beyond their risk for COVID. I am very clear on the effectiveness of vaccines; they work. And so, it’s difficult for me — as a physician and researcher working in health equity — to see anti-vaxxers as possible victims. Nevertheless, I can’t help but apply what we’ve learned after decades of research on bias. It is now common knowledge that, when doctors judge or dislike patients, if affects the care we give. Sometimes, those patients get worse care.
have documented how doctors have struggled to deal with patients who disregard their suggestions. In the past, patients would be openly ridiculed and stigmatized for not following a doctor’s orders. In today’s practice, these are patients we label as “nonadherent” or “noncompliant”. In a real sense, anti-vaxxers are “defiant” patients.