“VACCINE BOOSTER TALK” short film for frontline healthcare professionals

Vaccine Evaluation Centre
 

Co-leads:

  • Dr. Hana Mijovic
    BC Children’s Hospital, Vaccine Evaluation Centre, Provincial Health Services Authority
Team Members:

  • Dr. Shovita Padhi
    University of British Columbia, Fraser Health
  • Constance Haselden
    Island Health
Trainees

  • Clara Rubincam
    Vaccine Evaluation Center
  • Emily Gemmell
    Vaccine Evaluation Center

Uptake of childhood vaccines in BC remains below recommended rates, contributing to resurgence of vaccine preventable diseases. Family physicians, nurses, midwives, obstetricians, and pediatricians can play an important role in vaccine counselling and facilitate timely and equitable access to vaccines for pregnant women and children in BC.
 

At the Vaccine Evaluation Center we have interviewed BC parents and healthcare providers about barriers and facilitators to vaccine uptake from infancy to school-age, with the goal of optimizing vaccine counselling and uptake in primary care.
 

Facilitators included: provider(s) consistently recommending vaccines from pregnancy through childhood and continuity of care with trusted provider(s). Barriers included: provider(s) not discussing vaccines or not expressing strong recommendations, poor continuity of care, and difficulties accessing healthcare services.
 

Given the variety of providers involved in the care of BC’s children, we propose an interdisciplinary KT approach to share our research.  We will summarize our findings in a short film ‘Vaccine Booster Talk’ for frontline providers.  The film will be screened at 5 interprofessional education events, followed by discussion sessions.
 

This will provide an opportunity for providers to gain broader understanding of the factors influencing childhood vaccine uptake in BC and engage in interprofessional dialogue on improving counselling and facilitating uptake.