Conversations to Build Trust in Vaccination: A Training Module for Health Workers

"Emotions matter when building trust."

Developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), this module for a 2-hour training course focuses on evidence-informed best practices for health workers (HWs) to increase vaccine acceptance through skilled conversation about vaccination. It defines vaccine hesitancy, looks at the 3Cs (confidence, complacency, and convenience), explores the factors influencing vaccination decisions, and delves into means of addressing hesitancy. With regard to the latter, this training presents motivational interviewing methods adapted for the context of vaccination and features many specific examples of complex reflection/questions on the part of hypothetical parents with recommended HW responses (to be tailored to the specific situation).

It is hoped that, at the end of this training module, the participant will:

• Understand the key principles on communicating with vaccine-hesitant individuals;
• Learn skills to listen and engage in conversations aimed at building trust in vaccines; and
• Be able to respond to parental concerns regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness using motivational interviewing strategies.

The content in this training module is intended to be practical and adaptable for almost any setting; prior to the training, WHO recommends that the programme manager/trainer adjust the content to allow for any local considerations.