Navigating the Controversy- Understanding the Pros and Cons of Vaccinations and Addressing Patient Concerns
Vaccination is an important public health intervention because, since its introduction, the mortality and morbidity rates of preventable diseases have decreased markedly. For instance, in our current situation where COVID-19 was claiming most lives, everyone was hoping that scientists get its vaccine, and for sure, with the majority of COVID-19 vaccines in the market, the mortality has gone down. However, some people fear getting vaccinated because they believe vaccines are harmful.
There is much evidence-based literature about vaccinations. Most of the evidence-based literature only discusses the benefits of vaccinations, but that does not mean that there are no disadvantages of vaccination. Like any other pharmacological agent, there will be obvious side effects and adverse reactions associated with certain vaccinations. For instance, one of the studies conducted by the Center for Disease Control (2021) showed that those who were unvaccinated were two times likely to get COVID-19 than those who received their jab. It was therefore recommended that people get COVID-19 vaccinations to reduce mortalities and morbidities arising from the pandemic. In another study by Ochmann (2017), it was found that the polio vaccine eradicated polio to almost zero cases in communities where polio vaccine uptake was high. In addition to many others, we can conclude that people have been saved from deadly diseases with the use of vaccinations.
How to approach a Patient inquiring about vaccination
There are many controversies concerning vaccination. Different cultures and beliefs view vaccination differently. For instance, there have been many controversial developments surrounding the COVID-19 vaccination (Brezow, 2020). Some people even think that the vaccine is meant to reduce the world’s population; however, there are no scientific facts about it. Recently, on social media, some people were complaining that the vaccine was magnetizing people. All these are termed as conceptions because they are not proven scientifically.
Nurses and other healthcare workers play a big role in the vaccination process, and therefore it is believed, and they are a better source of information concerning vaccination. When a patient inquires about a vaccine, it is important to provide factual information to reduce the misinformation and misconceptions about vaccination (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020).
The first approach is to get the patient’s understanding of the vaccines and correct any misinformation. Secondly, the nurse should then conduct proper teaching by providing the patient with evidence-based information. The teaching should include both the benefits and risks of vaccination. Lastly, the nurse should then evaluate the patient’s understanding by asking them to recap. This way, the patients will make an informed decision and the vaccination uptake will increase
References
Brezow Alex (2020). Coronavirus Controversies Over Vaccine Trials, Convalescent Plasms, Death Toll. American Council on Science and Health. Retrieved on 28th Oct 2021. Available on: https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/09/03/covid-coronavirus-controversies-over-vaccine-trials-convalescent-plasma-death-toll-15002
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). Vaccine Safety. Talking to Patients about Vaccine Safety. Retrieved on 28th Oct 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/hcproviders/talkingtopatients.html