Evaluation of a Learning Module for Nurse Practitioner Students: Strategies to Address Patient Vaccine Hesitancy/Refusal

            Immunizations have been a major reason for the decrease in vaccine preventable diseases in the United States.   Recently there has been an upsurge in vaccine hesitancy and refusal due to concerns about safety, efficacy and necessity of vaccines and vaccine misinformation reported in the media (Sadaf, Richards, Glanz, Salmon, Omer, 2013).  Health care providers are encountering increasing rates of vaccine hesitancy and refusal in the primary care setting. Specific evidence based strategies are needed to assist providers when patients refuse recommended vaccinations (Leask, Kinnersley, Jackson, Cheaer, Bedford & Rowles, 2012; Domachowske & Suryadevara, 2013)).   There is limited research on educating health care providers on strategies to address vaccines issues. Primary health care providers (including nurse practitioner students) need additional knowledge and effective communication skills to address the issue of patient vaccine hesitancy/refusal.   

            The purpose of this scholarly project was twofold.  The first was to develop and evaluate an online, interactive, learning module to enhance knowledge of nurse practitioner students on issues of vaccine hesitancy and refusal.  The second purpose was to examine the effectiveness of the learning module on enhancing nurse practitioner student knowledge of motivational interviewing communication skills to address issues of vaccine hesitancy and refusal. A pre-test/post-test design was used to assess the change in knowledge and communication skills of nurse practitioner students to address the issue of vaccine hesitancy/refusal.  

            .A one hour web-based, interactive education module was developed with specific content on issues in vaccine refusal, and specific provider strategies and motivational interviewing communication techniques.  Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a patient centered guided approach to enhance self motivation to change (Miller & Rollnick (2002).  Dart (2011) discusses how MI is being utilized in a variety of settings to assist clinicians working with patients to improve healthy behavior outcomes.   

            Data collection is currently in process. Results of this study may serve to inform future study of the use of interactive education programs for health care providers to address vaccine hesitancy refusal in clinical practice.