Talking with parents who are ready to vaccinate
Parents who are ready to vaccinate their children usually have a positive relationship with their healthcare professionals and tend to trust medical advice. Nevertheless, they may have some questions about vaccination. The information on this page and in the downloadable PDF will help you have productive conversations when talking with parents about vaccinating their children.
Information
Download resources
Parents who are ready to vaccinate their children usually have a positive relationship with their healthcare professionals and tend to trust medical advice. Nevertheless, as many as 50 per cent or more of these parents will have some questions about vaccination1. Some parents say they are concerned that providers will think they are ‘antivaxxers’ if they ask questions during a vaccination consultation2. Parents who feel their questions have been dismissed by health professionals may be more vulnerable to misinformation3.
The goals for a consultation with a parent who is ready to vaccinate are:
- to prevent hesitancy
- to support timely vaccination.
Parents who are ready to vaccinate:
- usually present seeking vaccination at or near the recommended milestone
- may have process-oriented questions including what to expect during and in the days after the consultation
- may want information about managing common reactions and when to seek medical advice
- may not know what the vaccines are for
- may want information to help them answer questions from friends or relatives
- may have questions about safety
- may have questions about the ingredients in the vaccines
- may have questions about their child’s immune system and whether it can manage multiple vaccines.
Consultations with parents who are ready to vaccinate are usually straightforward. A positive interaction with a health professional can reinforce parents’ confidence in vaccination; negative or dismissive interactions may contribute to the development of hesitance.
The process we recommend below is designed to prevent hesitance and facilitate valid consent. Valid consent requires parents to:
- be competent to make the decision
- be provided with sufficient information
- understand the information provided
- and be able to act freely and voluntarily.
Parents do not need all the available information about a vaccine to achieve valid consent. Therefore, you are only obliged (legally and ethically) to provide information that is material (of value or importance) to the parent. This is best achieved through an interaction with parents that enables you to identify what is material to the parent.4
ELICIT QUESTIONS:
“What questions do you have today?”
“Do you have some questions?”
Inviting and addressing parents’ questions supports their sense of agency and facilitates valid consent.5 Accepting their questions2 enables you to identify their concerns, build trust, and provide them with the information that is material to them. This can help prevent concerns from escalating into hesitancy.3
Some parents need permission to express and explore their concerns.2 Asking a positively framed question such as “Do you have some questions?” has been found to reduce unmet patient concerns when compared with the more familiar “Do you have any questions?” perhaps because this negatively framed question signals the end of a consultation.5
SKAI Childhood could be a helpful resource for parents who have questions about vaccination. It includes information about the risks and benefits of the vaccines and the diseases they prevent, as well as answers to a range of common questions.
Downloadable factsheets in English, Arabic, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese can be accessed from the Healthcare Professionals page.
Short videos that explain the steps commonly taken by healthcare professionals when vaccinating a child, and some simple ways to keep children calm and comfortable during vaccination can also be accessed from the Healthcare Professionals page.
SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IMMUNISATION:
“There are some things we can do to make vaccination easier for Zac.”
“Aisha might feel mildly unwell in the days after vaccination, but most children don’t have any noticeable reaction at all. After we vaccinate her, I can give you some information to help you look after her if she does feel unwell.”
Parents who feel their questions have been dismissed by health professionals may be more vulnerable to misinformation.3 Using the baby’s name reassures parents that your recommendation is tailored to the needs of their child.
“Let’s book the next appointment before you leave today to be sure Dylan gets the next dose on time.”
Booking an appointment for the next dose and sending parents reminders results in more timely vaccination uptake.6 It may also reduce the risk of days spent under-vaccinated.
SKAI Childhood could be a helpful resource for parents who have questions about vaccination. It includes information about the risks and benefits of the vaccines and the diseases they prevent, as well as answers to a range of common questions.
Downloadable factsheets in English, Arabic, Vietnamese and Simplified Chinese can be accessed from the Healthcare Professionals page.
- Chow M, et al. Parental attitudes, beliefs, behaviours and concerns towards childhood vaccinations in Australia: A national online survey. Australian Family Physician. 2017;46(3):145-151. https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/march/parental-attitudes,-beliefs,-behaviours-and-concerns-towards-childhood-vaccinations-in-australia-a-national-online-survey/
- Berry NJ, et al. Sharing knowledge about immunisation (SKAI): An exploration of parents’ communication needs to inform development of a clinical communication support intervention. Vaccine. 2018; 36(44):6480-6490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.10.077
- Benin AL, et al. Qualitative analysis of mothers’ decision-making about vaccines for infants: The importance of trust. Pediatrics. 2006;117:1532-1541. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16651306
- Leask JA, et al. Consent and public engagement in an era of expanded childhood immunisation. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. 2011;47(9). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2011.02160.x
- Heritage J, et al. Reducing patients’ unmet concerns in primary care: The difference one word can make. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2007;22: 1429-1433. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17674111
- Jacobson Vann JC, et al. Patient reminder and recall systems to improve immunization rates. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2005(3):1465-1858. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003941.pub2