Doctors should ‘convince doubting parents’ to vaccinate

Dr Konstanty Radziwill, President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME), said doctors working in primary care – such as general practitioners and paediatricians – are confronted with questions about the safety of vaccines and must reassure parents that “vaccinating their children is much safer than not vaccinating them”.

“Doctors should convince doubting parents to vaccinate their children according to the current vaccination plan in the first place. In addition, they should also advise them to vaccinate their children with additional shots according to the child’s health condition,” Dr Radziwill told Vaccines Today.  

He added that doctors, especially those working in hospitals, should get vaccinated against influenza.  

The role of health professionals in immunisation is one of the central themes of European Immunization Week. To mark the occasion, WHO Europe has published a guide for doctors on how to discuss vaccination with parents.

“It is obvious that doctors contribute to encouraging their patients to get vaccinated but there is much more that could be done, both on the organizational and individual level,” Dr Radziwill said.

Interview transcript

Vaccines Today: What role do doctors play in supporting immunization programmes?

Konstanty Radziwill: Doctors, especially those working in the primary care sector, should convince doubting parents to vaccinate their children according to the current vaccination plan in the first place. In addition, they should also advise them to vaccinate their children with additional shots according to the child’s health condition. Primary care doctors and many others should support vaccinating people within the indications – especially elderly ones – against influenza. Doctors, especially those working in hospitals, should themselves get vaccinated against flu.

VT: What kinds of questions do parents have for doctors about vaccines?

KR: Their main concern regards the safety of the vaccination.

VT: How can doctors respond to these questions?

KR: By reaffirming that vaccinating their children is much safer than not vaccinating them.

VT: The ECDC has urged doctors to play a more active role in encouraging vaccination and the WHO has made health professionals a major focus of European Immunization Week. Do you think doctors are doing enough to encourage their patients to follow immunisation programmes?

KR: It is obvious that they contribute to encouraging their patients to get vaccinated but there is much more that could be done, both on the organizational and individual level. This is why CPME cooperates with ECDC in this field. We would like to convince them that the vaccinations are indeed safe, necessary and ethical.