Physician Communication With Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: The Start, Not the End, of the Story

In this month’s issue of Pediatrics, Henrikson et al¹ report a trial of the impact of communication training for physicians on the vaccine hesitancy of parents. The authors found that a physician-targeted communication intervention did not reduce vaccine hesitancy in mothers nor improve physician confidence compared with standard care. However, the study requires careful interpretation and should be seen as the start, not the end, of the story in finding effective approaches to vaccine hesitancy.

There is a clear need to develop new approaches to vaccine consultation. Although only 0.7% of children in the United States are completely unvaccinated, an estimated 13% of parents delay or select out of certain vaccines,^2,3 and the risk of this choice is enhanced by geographic clustering, creating a critical mass for disease outbreaks.⁴ Even parents who fully vaccinate have some concerns (eg, the number of vaccines, the vaccine ingredients, whether they potentially “damage” the immune system).^5,6

To address vaccination concerns, hesitancy, and refusal, some advocate a tougher line with strong physician recommendation, little room for expression of concern, and even …

Address correspondence to Julie Leask, PhD, MPH, Dip App Sci, School of Public Health, Edward Ford Building, A27, University of Sydney NSW 2006, Australia. E-mail: julie.leask{at}sydney.edu.au