Responding to Vaccine Hesitancy

Where to start when offering immunization

Follow these best practices when offering immunization to any patient.

Make a strong recommendation

Health care providers are a trusted source of information. Patients are more likely to choose to vaccinate when their health care provider confidently recommends it.

Stay up to date with local vaccine recommendations. Sign up for medical advisories and memos from Niagara Region Public Health.
Keep a copy of the publicly funded schedules for Ontario on hand

Use a presumptive approach

Normalize opting in. Most people choose to vaccinate, and using a presumptive statement has been shown to increase vaccine uptake. Use phrasing like, "Your child is due for the following three vaccines today... (name vaccines)" or "If you haven't had your flu shot, we can give it to you today." This helps create a decision environment where moving forward with immunization is the next logical step.

Read more about vaccine conversation approaches and taking a presumptive approach from the Ontario Medical Association.

How to respond to vaccine hesitancy

If a patient is hesitant to proceed with vaccination, follow these steps in response.

Listen

Listen to what your patient says. Show empathy and be curious. Stay focused on the moment and understand what your patient is saying to you. Avoid cutting them off or formulating your answer before they've finished speaking.

Affirm

Affirm your patient's feelings and highlight their strengths. Validate the emotions they've shared. You may want to use language like, "Your concern shows how much you care about your child's safety." Support your patient's autonomy and reinforce that the choice to immunize or not is up to them.

Ask permission

Ask permission to share information about immunization or your first-hand experiences with immunization or a vaccine preventable disease. If their response is "no", respect it and move on to a different topic.

Share

If your patient agrees, share information on the subject or questions they've raised. Sharing your own personal or professional experiences can also be helpful. Focus on the topic or concern raised by your patient. Avoid using judgmental language, scare tactics or bringing up issues they didn't raise themselves.

Ask

Ask your patient what they will do with this information. If they decide not to immunize at this time, it's important to respect their decision and offer continued support for future questions. The goal of your interaction is to establish, maintain and build trust. If they have questions about immunization in the future, you can remain a trusted source of support and information. Let them know that they can book an appointment to continue the conversation whenever they're ready.

Additional resources

Register for Moving to Acceptance: How to address vaccine hesitancy in your busy practice. This one-hour module from the Canadian Pediatric Society helps health care providers counsel vaccine-hesitant patients.
Frameworks - Boosting Public Discourse: Reframing Childhood Immunization. A toolkit and resources for speaking up on behalf of evidence-based vaccination policies.