Not Making Headway in Promoting Vaccinations to Patients? Try Changing Your Style

Some patients are eager to take your advice regarding vaccine-preventable diseases. Others not so much. That doesn’t mean they’re unreachable, however. A study just published in Pediatrics indicates how you approach the subject can make a difference. Focusing on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, the researchers found that acceptance rates were higher when the clinician used a “presumptive” communication style—making a strong recommendation based on the presumption that vaccination will be acceptable to the patient, as opposed to a conversational style in which provider and patient engage in open-ended conversation on the subject. The data also suggest that alert systems and standing orders in medical records are helpful in increasing acceptance rates for vaccination. The conclusions are based on a survey of 588 pediatricians and family physicians between July and September 2018.