Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy With Patients
Clinical Breakthroughs

Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy With Patients

By Amber BemisMar 31, 2015
Share
Facebook Twitter Email
Martin Myers, MD, former professor and past chair of the Department of Pediatrics, spoke about the vaccine hesitancy and tools medical professionals can use to educate their patients.

Vaccines have had a long and successful history of protecting patients from disease, but a recent increase in patients’ hesitance towards vaccines has created significant challenges for doctors and concerns about the impact on the health of the public.

As part of their Pediatric Ground Rounds series, the Department of Pediatrics hosted “Understanding & Dealing with Vaccine Hesitancy,” to help equip doctors to understand and address issues surrounding resistance to vaccines among their patients.

Martin Myers, MD, a virology expert and professor emeritus in Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at the University of Texas, addressed some of the reasons parents may choose to not vaccinate their children, and ways physicians and other medical professionals can make sure those patients receive the most accurate information possible.

“The irony of this is, because of vaccinations, these diseases have become less common — so it’s hard for parents to understand the importance. They don’t see or know anything about the diseases vaccines prevent,” Myers said.

Dr. Myers emphasized that physicians and other healthcare professionals are often the most trusted source of information, making it important for them to communicate clearly with patients so they understand the information being presented.

Dr. Myers said there are three factors that can often prevent a doctor’s message about vaccines from being understood: innumeracy, or the patients’ inability to understand statistics associated with disease risk; the language doctors use when talking to patients; and misinformation patients may receive from others.

“As physicians, it’s really important that you all understand the diseases and know them well, so you are able to teach your patients and their families,” Dr. Myers said.

Jacob Spitznagle, a fourth-year medical student, attended the lecture. He said one of the key messages he took from the presentation was that there can be a discrepancy between what a physician says and what the patient actually hears and understands.

“Conversations like the one had today at Grand Rounds are extremely important in that they allow experienced physicians to share their successful – and unsuccessful – strategies to counsel patients,” Spitznagle said. “I understand that not every parent will be willing to change their opinion on vaccinations, but I feel more confident in my ability to impact their decisions.”

Before the conference, Dr. Myers, a former professor and past chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Feinberg School of Medicine, was presented with a portrait commemorating his years of service to the Northwestern University and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital). The painting will be displayed, along with those of other former department chairs, outside the conference center at Lurie Children’s.

Education Immunology
Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Novel Therapeutic Targets Discovered for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Jan 18, 2023

Vitamin D Improves Symptoms of Toxic Erythema of Chemotherapy 

Jan 17, 2023

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Changes in Medical School Leadership

Jan 26, 2023

Shortage of Mental Health Professionals Linked to Increase in Youth Suicides

Jan 25, 2023

Northwestern Medicine Scholars Program Inspires a New Generation of Physicians and Scientists 

Jan 24, 2023

Understanding How Childhood Brain Tumors Develop

Jan 23, 2023

Medical School Establishes New Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience

Jan 19, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-24
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-16
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-14
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-5
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-6
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-10
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-8
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-18
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-23
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-25
Feinberg_In_Vivo_20221209_tcrawford-26

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.