Treatment and Vaccine Hesitancy - How to Effectively Talk with Patients
Bruce Berger, Ph.D. - Berger Consulting LLC and Professor Emeritus, Auburn University - and Col. John D. Grabenstein, R.Ph., Ph.D. - Vaccine Dynamics SP - talk with us about treatment hesitancy, its root causes, and how health professionals can engage patients in treatment decisions more effectively. Key Lessons: Treatment and vaccine hesitancy is often grounded in inadequate information, changing information (leading to doubt), personal beliefs, misinformation, distrust (of the health care professional's motivations), and (sometimes) apathy. Actively soliciting and listening to a patient's concerns is the key to understanding the sources of doubt and hesitancy. Confrontation and dismissing a patient's understanding will cause "face loss" and lead to more resistance, not less. Monologues about "the facts" are not helpful. It is important to ask permission and then gently offer new information for the patient to consider. The patient is always driving the bus and all treatment decisions rest with them. The goal should be to become a trusted advisor who's always on the patient's side. It may take some patients several months (or even years) to arrive at a decision to start a new treatment or receive a vaccine. Our words can alienate a patient and sever a relationship. This is perhaps the worst possible outcome because it prevents us from having a positive influence in the future. Want to learn more about motivational interviewing and vaccinations? Be sure to check out these resources: Immunization Action Coalition (www.immunize.org) ComMIt - Comprehensive Motivational Interviewing (MI) Training eLearning MI Training for Health Professionals - Purdue University Berger B. Using Care and Compassion to Respond to Vaccine Hesitancy.