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In the United States and many other countries, vaccination rates remain relatively high. However, even in these countries, parents may choose not to vaccinate their children for a variety of reasons. Even a few unvaccinated people can cause a dangerous outbreak of an otherwise preventable disease. There are many opportunities to increase vaccination rates, especially if you are an educator or healthcare professional. Making it more convenient and less expensive to get vaccines can increase vaccination rates among low-income families. Educating parents and making it more difficult to claim an exemption from vaccine requirements for school entry can also lead to better vaccination coverage.[1]
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:Eliminating Socioeconomic Barriers
Method 1
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1Expand clinic hours. Working families may have difficulty getting their children to a doctor's office during normal business hours. These parents may be more likely to vaccinate their children if a vaccination clinic is held during convenient hours.[2]
- For example, most doctor's offices are not open during evenings or on weekends. A pediatrician can hold an evening or weekend vaccination clinic to allow working parents to get their children vaccinated without having to worry about taking a day off work.
- Doctor's offices and nonprofit organizations can also hold pop-up vaccination clinics in low-income communities can also be a benefit to families who have transportation challenges.
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2Offer incentives for timely vaccination. Even relatively low co-pays or administrative fees can be tough on some families financially. Offering free vaccines, or discounts on healthcare services or other necessities, are ways to get around this.[3]
- Health insurance companies could offer discounts for families who maintained the recommended vaccination schedule.
- Doctor's offices or even school administrators could offer discount or gift cards to encourage teenagers and adults to get necessary vaccines on time.
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3Provide home visits for vaccinations. Community-based nonprofit organizations can help increase vaccination rates by providing volunteer nurse practitioners or other healthcare providers to administer vaccines at a child's home.[4]
- Home visits enable working families without independent transportation to keep their children up to date on their vaccinations.
- A mobile vaccination clinic could be set up, using a bus or van, to visit various neighborhoods on a set schedule. Notices could be sent in advance to children identified as needing vaccines.
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4Give vaccinations during sick visits. Older children, especially children in low-income families, may not get regular physicals. If a child is only going to the doctor when they're sick, the doctor should check whether the child is up to date on their vaccinations.[5]
- If the child is due a vaccine, and the vaccine can be administered even in the child's current condition, the doctor should go ahead and give it. If the vaccine can't be given while the child is sick, the doctor should still inform the child's parents that the child needs the vaccine.
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5Allow pharmacists to administer vaccines. In many cases, it's a lot easier for people to get to a local drug store than to a doctor's appointment. When pharmacists are permitted to administer vaccines, this can increase vaccination rates.
- For example, studies have shown that more people get flu vaccines in areas where the vaccines can be administered by a pharmacist.
- Allowing pharmacists to administer vaccines may require a change in state laws or regulations. Speak to elected officials about how to accomplish this.
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6Use an immunization registry. People don't always visit their primary physician for healthcare. State governments offer immunization registries so all healthcare providers have access to immunization information for each patient. Doctor's offices and clinics typically gain access to the registry by signing up with the state's public health department.[6]
- Healthcare providers can administer vaccines if the registry indicates one is due. This decreases the risk of a patient slipping through the cracks if they don't visit their primary physician on a regular basis.
- For example, if a parent takes their child to an after-hours clinic to treat a cold, clinic staff could check the registry to see if the child was up to date on their vaccinations.
- When an immunization registry is used, staff should be trained to check the registry for every patient who is seen.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:Educating Parents
Method 2
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1Provide information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. Parents often have misconceptions about vaccines, or are worried that too many vaccines will weaken their child's immune system or cause other damage.[7]
- Due to the relative success of vaccine programs, many parents may not be familiar with the diseases the vaccines are supposed to prevent. Healthcare providers can provide detailed information about these diseases, and about the importance of every child getting vaccinated.
- Educators can also make this information available to students, and talk about vaccines in science and health classes.
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a number of factsheets and other resources about each disease and vaccine available at https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/adults/for-patients/index.html.
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2Provide reminders to parents. Vaccine schedules can be difficult to keep up with, especially for working parents who may have many other demands on their time. Doctor's offices can send phone, text, mail, and email reminders to help keep parents on track.[8]
- Healthcare providers should offer parents a variety of reminder options, so they can choose the ones that would be most effective for them.
- Recall notices can also be sent if a child is overdue to have a particular vaccine.
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3Avoid giving parents a choice. Most parents trust the judgment of their child's pediatrician. Pediatricians can help increase vaccination plans by simply announcing that vaccines will be given, rather than opening a discussion about vaccination.[9]
- This approach treats vaccines as necessary, rather than optional. Getting a vaccine is never a pleasant experience. A parent who believes vaccines are optional may be more likely to decline the vaccine and spare their child the unpleasantness of getting a shot.
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4Notify the media about outbreaks. Studies have shown that when there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease, vaccination rates in the area of the outbreak increase. Mass media attention of the outbreak ensures more people know about it. If you are a healthcare professional, contact your local newspaper or TV news station and tell them about cases of vaccine-preventable diseases occurring in the area.[10]
- Many parents may be hesitant to vaccinate their children because they are unfamiliar with the disease the vaccine prevents. Because of high vaccination rates, these parents may believe there's no point in vaccinating their children because no one ever gets that disease anymore.
- In addition to coverage of the outbreak, include information about when, where, and how people can get vaccinated. Opening additional vaccination clinic sites during and immediately after an outbreak makes the vaccine available to a greater number of people.
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5Speak out against disinformation. A lot of parents decide not to vaccinate their children because they read or hear alarmist, non-scientific information about vaccines and their side effects. Even if you're not a healthcare provider, you can still influence friends and family to evaluate information more critically.[11]
- If you know someone who wants to avoid putting their child through the pain or trauma of vaccinations, point out how much pain and suffering they may have to go through if they contract a vaccine-preventable disease.
- Encourage parents who are reluctant to vaccinate their children to explore information on the CDC's website and to talk to their pediatrician about their concerns.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:Strengthening Requirements for School Entry
Method 3
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1Apply vaccination requirements to private schools and day cares. Children attending public schools are required to provide proof that they've had certain vaccinations. Expanding these requirements to private schools and day care programs can increase vaccination rates.[12]
- Most states in the U.S. have expanded vaccination requirements to private schools and day cares. However, enforcement may be lax in some areas, allowing unvaccinated children to slip through the cracks. If you're in education, encourage a crack-down on vaccination requirements.
- Governments could help increase vaccination rates by requiring all schools (public and private) to not only require proof of vaccines, but also submit that proof to a government authority.
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2Counsel parents before allowing an exemption. Parents may decide not to vaccinate their children simply because it's easier to get an exemption than to get the vaccines themselves. Requiring parents to attend a counseling session before claiming an exemption would help correct this imbalance.[13]
- The counseling session should include information on the vaccines, the vaccination process, and the success of the vaccination program. Parents also should learn about the diseases vaccines prevent.
- The purpose of the counseling session is to make sure that all parents who choose not to vaccinate their children are making a thoughtful, informed decision.
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3Require affidavits for exemptions. Requiring an affidavit is another way to make it more difficult for parents to claim an exemption and refuse to vaccinate their children. A sworn affidavit signed in the presence of a notary adds a degree of seriousness to the decision that may make some parents think twice.[14]
- The affidavit should spell out specifically the parents' reasons for refusing to vaccinate their children. It should also include a detailed list of the risks of not vaccinating children.
- State or local governments can make form affidavits available for parents to fill out that include the same descriptions of the risks of a failure to vaccinate.
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4Eliminate vague exemptions. Religious and health-related reasons are sufficiently specific. However, some governments also allow parents to refuse vaccinations on the basis of their personal philosophy. Such a vague reason allows parents to in effect refuse to vaccinate their children for any reason, or for no real reason at all.[15]
- As long as parents can refuse vaccinations for such vague reasons, the vaccine requirements themselves are ineffective and difficult to enforce.
- Find out what exemptions are available in your area. Talk to elected officials about eliminating vague exemptions that make it easy for parents to decide not to vaccinate their children.
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References
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/laws/downloads/Improving-Vax-Coverage-Factsheet.pdf
- ↑ http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/cdc/immunization/top-strategies.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
- ↑ https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/tools-resources/evidence-based-resource/vaccination-programs-home-visits-to-increase
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
- ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1198743X14601725
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
- ↑ http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/cdc/immunization/top-strategies.pdf
- ↑ http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/cdc/immunization/top-strategies.pdf
- ↑ https://hbr.org/2017/02/to-increase-vaccination-rates-share-information-on-disease-outbreaks
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/laws/downloads/Improving-Vax-Coverage-Factsheet.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4927017/
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/laws/downloads/Improving-Vax-Coverage-Factsheet.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/laws/downloads/Improving-Vax-Coverage-Factsheet.pdf
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