“I’d like to vaccinate my child on my own schedule. Does it need to happen today?”
Reflective listening starts by allowing parents to express their beliefs. After they share, try to interpret the meaning behind their answer and ask them to clarify if you’ve understood them correctly.5
Example Conversation
Parent:
“I’d like to delay my child’s vaccinations. Can we save this for her next appointment?”
HCP:
“I’m hearing that you’d like an alternative vaccination schedule. Could you help me understand why?”
Parent:
“It just seems like a lot all at once, and I’m not sure if it’s safe.”
HCP:
“I can understand being concerned about your child’s safety. But if you don’t vaccinate your child, there’s a real chance they could get sick.”6
The Science of Persuasion
Tell parents the bottom-line meaning or the “gist” of a message to help them remember and take action on the information you provided. Messages with gists are expected to be more compelling to parents than those that simply state facts verbatim.4,6
Brewer NT, Chapman GB, Rothman AJ, et al. Increasing vaccination: Putting psychological science into action. Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2017;18(3):149-207. doi:10.1177/1529100618760521
id5
Reference
Miller WR, Rollnick S. What is motivational interviewing? In: Miller WR and Rollnick S, eds. Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change. 3rd ed. Guilford Publications; 2012:1-36.
id8
Reference
Hill HA, Yankey D, Elam-Evans LD, et al. Vaccination coverage by age 24 months among children born in 2016 and 2017–national immunization survey-child, United States, 2017-2019. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2020;69(42):1505-1511. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6942a1
id6
Reference
Broniatowski DA, Hilyard KM, Dredze M. Effective vaccine communication during the Disneyland measles outbreak. Vaccine. 2016;34(28):3225-3228. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.04.044
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