On the bookshelf — Let’s Talk Vaccines: A Clinician’s Guide to Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Saving Lives

Let’s Talk Vaccines: A Clinician’s Guide to Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Saving Lives is a book for healthcare providers who vaccinate patients and have vaccine-related conversations. Written by Gretchen LaSalle, a family physician who practices in the state of Washington, the book is designed to be accessible and relevant for providers on the frontlines. Some of the unique chapters in the book include:

• “There and Back Again: How Anti-vaxxers Change Their Minds” — This chapter includes “interview-type responses” from three individuals who moved from vaccine hesitant to accepting. The chapter includes almost 20 questions ranging from their “upbringing in regard to vaccines” to their sources of information and how they were affected by encounters with medical providers.
• “Catching Flies: Approach Matters” — This chapter describes presumptive versus participatory approaches to vaccine conversations as well as C.A.S.E, 3-AS, and A.S.K. methods for having vaccine conversations.
• Three “Point-Counterpoint” chapters — These chapters relate to addressing vaccine doubts, concerns of specific populations, and two particularly controversial vaccines (influenza and human papillomavirus). Each chapter includes a series of descriptions of vaccine hesitant talking points and several lines of evidence for addressing each.

The book contains a vast amount of information and resources beyond those highlighted above, including discussions of the history and psychology of the anti-vaccine movement, vaccine ingredients, vaccine oversight, and vaccine information in the news and on the internet, which also includes a list of prominent people active in the anti-vaccine movement.

A series of useful appendices summarize vaccine-preventable disease information, resources related to vaccines, and tips for evaluating information.

The strength of this book is that it was written by someone who regularly has conversations similar to those vaccine providers everywhere are having, making it a useful tool for effectively addressing vaccine hesitancy.

Get the book:

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble