Communicating About Vaccine Safety: Guidelines to Help Health Workers Communicate with Parents, Caregivers, and Patients
Key Guidance
Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2020), 61 pp.
ISBN 978-92-75-12281-5 (print); 978-92-75-12282-2 (pdf)
"Studies show that telling people about the quality, safety, effectiveness and availability of vaccines is not enough to influence behavior change related to immunization, and in general, doesn´t increase coverage. For this reason, it´s necessary to understand the reasons why people choose not to get vaccinated or not get their children vaccinated, in order to begin a two-way respectful dialogue using the best, most effective messages. Given this context, the main objective of these guidelines is to provide tools for staff working in the field of immunization to support effective communication between health personnel and the general population, with the aim of strengthening, maintaining or recovering trust in vaccines and the immunization programs in the Region of the Americas." (Back cover)
1 Factors that influence the decision to vaccinate, 10
2 The spectrum of vaccine hesitancy, 15
3 Communication strategies for interaction with parents, caregivers, and patients, 19
4 Strategies to improve the vaccination experience, 27
5 Frequently asked questions about vaccination, 31
6 Frequently asked questions and key messages about vaccines against influenza, human papilloma virus, and measles, and vaccines in development against COVID-19, 35
7 Debunking false information and misconceptions about vaccines, 45
8 How to communicate about adverse events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization (ESAVIs), 50
9 Communicating with vaccine-hesitant colleagues, 52
2 The spectrum of vaccine hesitancy, 15
3 Communication strategies for interaction with parents, caregivers, and patients, 19
4 Strategies to improve the vaccination experience, 27
5 Frequently asked questions about vaccination, 31
6 Frequently asked questions and key messages about vaccines against influenza, human papilloma virus, and measles, and vaccines in development against COVID-19, 35
7 Debunking false information and misconceptions about vaccines, 45
8 How to communicate about adverse events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization (ESAVIs), 50
9 Communicating with vaccine-hesitant colleagues, 52
