What you say—and how you say it—matters.
As a health care provider, you’ve most likely heard concerns from parents about the safety of childhood vaccines. You can answer their questions and have effective vaccine conversations using proven behavior change models. Learn strategies for putting parents’ minds at ease and help make sure children in your practice receive recommended vaccines on schedule.
The immunization challenge
Some vaccine coverage rates are below the threshold for herd immunity. Gaps in vaccination leaves children unprotected.
Parents trust you
76% of parents have “a lot of trust” in their child’s doctor when it comes to vaccine information.source: 1
Strong and positive recommendations make an impact
About half of hesitant parents will eventually vaccinate their child when a provider discusses and addresses their concerns and provides positive recommendations at each visit.source: 2
The Act, Recommend, Motivate (ARM) approach makes vaccine conversations easier
ARM is an evidence-based and provider-tested approach to guide more effective vaccine conversations with parents. When used together, the three steps of the ARM approach build on each other to help parents feel more empowered and confident about the decisions they make for their child’s health. Learn more about the ARM approach.
If a parent is in your office, then assume they plan to vaccinate their child.
This step is all about the words you choose when discussing vaccination with parents.
- Use a presumptive “act now” approach by making strong statements rather than asking questions. For instance, “let’s do this today so you don’t need to come back before summer camp.”
- It is important to use inclusive language—like “let’s”—during these conversations to show parents this is a decision you want to make with them, not for them.
If a parent is unsure, then make a strong recommendation. A strong recommendation has four main parts:
- Communicate the benefits
- Share positive personal stories
- Acknowledge and respond
- Restate the benefits
Personal stories signal to parents that you are part of the norm and allow for a personal connection with parents.
If a parent is hesitant, then empower them to be confident in their decision to vaccinate.
When parents have questions or concerns, how you respond is almost as important as the answers themselves.
- Listen to questions or concerns and respond with patience, empathy, and respect. Maintaining the patient–provider relationship is an important goal in what can sometimes feel like emotionally charged conversations.
- Each parent may respond differently to the information, so tailor your approach based on your understanding of what will be effective for them.
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Resources
The ARM approach: making the conversation easier
Tips and timesavers
Making effective recommendations
Share the facts
Spreading the truth saves lives, so use our resources to help parents understand how vaccines work, why they’re safe, and how they help protect kids.
Sources
- Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics: The role of trust in health information from medical authorities in accepting the HPV vaccine among African American parents
- Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: The Architecture of Provider-Parent Vaccine Discussions at Health Supervision Visits