I love how you unpacked what vaccine hesitancy means. This is all so true. As a family doctor, it is challenging for me to find time to discuss getting a COVID-19 vaccine with my patients, but I try my best to do it anyway. I always make sure that I discuss all my patients' concerns before I drop that big question, "have you considered or have you taken the COVID-19 vaccine?" (I have changed it from "have you scheduled or taken the COVID-19 vaccine because there have been times when I had gotten violent reactions from asking) I think even if they are very resistant to getting vaccinated, patients are more open to listen when they have seen that I have already worked on gaining their trust by addressing their health concerns. I always try to lighten up the conversation by sharing my personal experience with the vaccine or how I had a 100+ year old patient who got the vaccine, got a rash and felt bad, but she survived. I always ask everyone who have been vaccinated if they had any side effects because I tell those who are hesitant that "I ask everyone who has gotten it and I can promise you that at least 95% had no to minor side effects." I guess the next question is how can I make my patients trust science again, because that's the hardest one for me, when they believe that it has not been studied long enough. Because science always wins, right? But we have to convince a lot of people first.
I love how you unpacked what vaccine hesitancy means. This is all so true. As a family doctor, it is challenging for me to find time to discuss getting a COVID-19 vaccine with my patients, but I try my best to do it anyway. I always make sure that I discuss all my patients' concerns before I drop that big question, "have you considered or have you taken the COVID-19 vaccine?" (I have changed it from "have you scheduled or taken the COVID-19 vaccine because there have been times when I had gotten violent reactions from asking) I think even if they are very resistant to getting vaccinated, patients are more open to listen when they have seen that I have already worked on gaining their trust by addressing their health concerns. I always try to lighten up the conversation by sharing my personal experience with the vaccine or how I had a 100+ year old patient who got the vaccine, got a rash and felt bad, but she survived. I always ask everyone who have been vaccinated if they had any side effects because I tell those who are hesitant that "I ask everyone who has gotten it and I can promise you that at least 95% had no to minor side effects." I guess the next question is how can I make my patients trust science again, because that's the hardest one for me, when they believe that it has not been studied long enough. Because science always wins, right? But we have to convince a lot of people first.