In this course we investigate the reasons for vaccine hesitancy – the practical barriers people might face, such as the inability to attend appointments, to find the time in their busy lives, to find the money for a bus fare or to understand the information that we have shared with them. We also learn why some people choose not to get vaccinated for reasons of fear, scepticism,  cultural beliefs or peer pressure and how these barriers manifest themselves.

We teach the Health Coaching model to use effective questioning and active listening, combined with an empathic approach,  to develop rapport and support people to speak freely about their feelings for their vaccine hesitancy.

We use case studies to investigate ways in which barriers can be overcome to enable those who want to get a vaccination to do so. In a world where people are more and more sceptical of vaccinations and health interventions, this course is a vital tool for those in primary care to reach out to people and to find out WHY.

Aims:

• To understand the inequalities that exist around vaccine uptake and the reasons for vaccine hesitancy.
• To use health coaching methods to investigate reasons why people choose not to take an opportunity to get vaccinated.
• To learn how to create rapport, to ask open questions and to actively listen.
• To seek to understand and respect the perceptions of others, whilst addressing any misconceptions they may have.
• To learn about the potential practical and psychological barriers to vaccination take-up and how to overcome them.
• To observe and reflect upon the links between social inequalities and non-compliance.
• To learn about the stages of Vaccine Readiness, using case studies to apply different techniques (HEAR, Ask- Tell – Ask, Action Planning) to examples at each stage.
• The approach is evidence based in the Cochrane Library.