(IT) "Something for us." Co-developing a COVID-19 vaccine social media site for long-term care workers: Presenter(s): Ailyn Sierpe, Dartmouth, United States; Catherine Saunders, Dartmouth, United States

BACKGROUND: Confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines remains low among long-term care workers (LTCWs) despite U.S. mandates. Largely from underserved groups, LTCWs often feel overlooked in the healthcare system. While difficult to reach with workplace communication interventions, many LTCWs actively use social media. Various social media interventions have improved attitudes and uptake for other vaccines. We aimed to develop a curated social site to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence (three-arm randomized trial underway). METHODS: Following user-centric design and participatory approaches, we undertook three steps: content identification (1), platform development (2) and community building (3). A LTCW and stakeholder advisory group provided iterative input. For content identification (1), we identified topics of concern about COVID-19 vaccines via desktop research (published literature, public opinion polls and social media), refined via interviews (n=9) and a poll (n=13) with LTCWs. We also conducted a survey with those demographically representative of LTCWs (n=592). We curated and fact checked posts from popular social media platforms addressing the concerns. During platform development (2), we solicited preferences for site design and functionality via LTCW interviews and UX interviews (n=3). We also identified best practices for online community building (3), like comment moderation. RESULTS: Content identification (1) resulted in 400+ posts addressing four categories: COVID-19 in general, and vaccine benefits, risks, and development. The platform we developed (2) is a stylized Wordpress social media site. Users can sort posts by topic or subtopic, as well as react to or comment on posts. To build community (3), we recruited three LTCW ‘community ambassadors’ and instructed them to encourage discussion, acknowledge concerns and offer factual information on COVID-19 vaccines. We also set ‘community standards’ for the site. Implications of research for communication in healthcare: If the site increases vaccine confidence, similar curated social media innovations could be modeled in other populations.