After the COVID-19 vaccine became widely available, a group of University of New Mexico medical students and residents reached out to patients to assist them in getting vaccinated. It quickly became apparent that many were resistant to getting the new shots. Students, residents, nurses, and even experienced attendings found it challenging to talk to patients about COVID vaccines at times.

Some patients had questions or concerns about vaccine safety, effectiveness, or cost that were relatively easy to address. But others had deeply held, negative beliefs about the vaccines based on misunderstandings or misinformation. The latter group included people who felt that the COVID-19 pandemic was a hoax, the vaccines were likely to seriously harm them, or the vaccines did not have any significant benefits. Sometimes these individuals had very emotional negative reactions toward the vaccines, and those discussions were often unpleasant for the health care professionals, who felt they had failed when the patient refused to get vaccinated despite being given facts and information.

The official COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is set to expire in May, but as of February 2023, hundreds of Americans were still dying of COVID every day.¹ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend vaccination, but a recommendation from a trusted primary care physician can often have a greater effect on patients' decisions.² Still, some patients will be hesitant. Dispelling misinformation with data and facts is important, but changing beliefs also requires listening, exchanging information, and building trust.

Building on previous literature regarding other vaccines,^3,4 this article provides guidance to improve conversations with vaccine-hesitant patients, based on what we learned from our own efforts regarding COVID-19 vaccination.

TIP 1: MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Vaccine hesitancy is sometimes rooted in strong emotions and beliefs that are difficult to change. This is especially true with the COVID-19 vaccines, which were developed at an unprecedented pace⁵ and have become fraught with political baggage.⁶