FEATURE COVID-19
TARGETING VACCINE HESITANCY Tips on How to Approach Reluctant Patients by TERESA SCHIFFER
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s we head into another year with the COVID-19 threat still heavily upon us, many healthcare providers are wondering how to better communicate to the public the real risks associated with this disease. After hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of positive cases and the release of successful vaccines, there are still people who are reluctant to receive a free inoculation. So what can healthcare providers do to encourage their patients to get vaccinated? The first step is to make sure to express an attitude of compassion, empathy, and sensitivity to their concerns. It is important that patients trust their healthcare providers and understand that they have their best interests at heart. It’s also important to remember that arguing or debating can cause people to dig in more firmly on their preconceived ideas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that healthcare providers request patients’ permission to engage in a conversation about the vaccination. It goes on to say that if the
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patient does not want to discuss the topic, providers should respond with patience, letting them know that their health and the well-being of their family are of utmost importance. One way to gauge patients’ degree of hesitancy to vaccinate is to ask them to rank their likelihood to get a vaccine on a scale of one to 10, one being “never” and 10 being “already have an appointment scheduled for vaccination.” This helps the provider know where the patient stands and what needs to be done to edge that number upward. A method of determining what’s going on in a patient’s mind is to ask what they have heard from their community about the vaccine. This allows the patient to express the rumors and misinformation that causes them confusion and concern without leading to embarrassment or defensiveness. “The amount of COVID-19 vaccination information available to the public is so vast, and the whole situation can generate various levels of fear, stress
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