Doctor smiling and talking to a child and woman in a medical exam room.

Clinical communication hub

Vaccine communication resources

This hub equips healthcare providers with evidence-based strategies to address vaccine hesitation with confidence and compassion. Designed specifically for busy clinical environments, this hub offers flexible, high-impact learning formats—from accredited CME courses and point-of-care frameworks to thought-provoking, informative podcast episodes, video demonstrations, and even a game or two. Explore the resources below to sharpen your clinical dialogue, earn continuing education credits, and serve as an effective trusted messenger for your patients.

"Because for many patients, the barrier isn't what they're thinking; it's how they're feeling.
Not acknowledging that gap — and not learning how best to fill it — carries real risk for us, for our patients, and for the future of health care," Todd Wolynn, MD, executive director, Trusted Messenger Program.

Free CME

The Trusted Messenger Program works with clinicians, health systems, and integrated delivery networks to improve patient care and change the way health care communicates.

Learn more about the Trusted Messenger Program

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Listen and learn

Prefer to listen and learn on the go? The Trusted Messenger podcast is an audio series focused on training healthcare and public health professionals in evidence-based communication. Episodes include expert guests and explores how clinicians can build patient trust and navigate hard conversations.

Listen to the Trusted Messenger Podcast series

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Bite-sized videos

Have just a few minutes? The 4-A Method presented by Voices for Vaccines is a practical communication framework based on motivational interviewing. It helps people have calm, constructive, and non-confrontational conversations about vaccines with hesitant individuals by making them feel heard, respected, and safe.

The Just the Facts video series features realistic, peer-to-peer conversations and model how to respond to common vaccine questions, rumors, and misinformation using empathy, respect, and scientific evidence.

Explore the 4-A Method videos

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Check out the Just the Facts series

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Immersive learing

Prefer something interactive? In collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics, Bodyswaps offers a free virtual reality, AI-powered simulation training designed to help pediatric healthcare system teams navigate difficult vaccine conversations with patients and families.

Immerse yourself in experiential learning with Bodyswaps

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More motivational interviewing CME

The online training program offered by the North Dakota State University Center for Immunization Research and Education uses Motivational Interviewing strategies to help healthcare professionals address vaccine hesitancy and build patient trust. The curriculum features a four-part video series.

Visit the NDSU Center for Immunization Research website

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Have a specific question or need additional guidance?

Immunize.org’s Ask the Experts page provides a trusted repository of clinical answers regarding vaccines. It is written by immunization experts and reviewed by the CDC. This is the place to go for providers seeking clear, clinical answers regarding complex vaccine recommendations, administration rules, catch-up schedules, or contraindications.

Ask the experts

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Quick games and conversation guides

Take a break and engage in a virtual escape room game offered by the Center for Unbiased Science and Health (CUSH). CUSH is a nonprofit bringing together scientists, physicians, and researchers to translate complex evidence into information people can actually trust and use. Each escape room is a scenario-based conversation with a hesitant patient or caregiver, based on the questions clinicians report hearing in practice. They also provide practical conversation guides on debated topics such as the MMR vaccine and vitamin K that can help you have better conversations.

Play an escape room game

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Peruse the conversation guides

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Small, deliberate adjustments to your clinical workflow can significantly increase on-time pediatric and adolescent vaccination rates. Explore core quality improvement strategies below that your clinic can implement independently, or collaborate with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Immunization Program through our guided Immunization Quality Improvement for Providers (IQIP) program.

Core practice strategies

What it is: Improving practice workflows to ensure children and adolescents don't miss follow-up doses.

Key actions:

Schedule the next visit before leaving: Make it standard practice at checkout to book the child’s next well-child exam or follow-up vaccine visit. Scheduling in the exam room when possible can increase convenience.
Pre-appointment reminders: Send automated text, call, or portal reminders 24–48 hours before scheduled appointments.
Recall overdue patients: Establish a monthly routine to identify and contact patients who are past due for recommended vaccines utilizing your EHR or USIIS.
Track no-shows and canceled appointments and contact those patients within the same week to reschedule.
Inform parents of future vaccine dates by giving parents a copy of their current immunization record and list of future recommended vaccines with precise due dates.

What it is: Maximizing the use of Utah's State Immunization Information System (USIIS) or electronic health records (EHR).

Key actions: 

Enable clinical decision support: Ensure your EHR or USIIS flags missing or due vaccines at every encounter by forecasting at every visit—including nurse visits and acute care.
Maintain accurate records: Report administered and historical vaccines promptly to USIIS so immunization histories remain accurate state-wide.
Routine data audits: Periodically run USIIS coverage reports to identify coverage gaps.
Patient inactivation: Establish a protocol to update patient active/inactive status in USIIS when a patient moves, leaves the practice, or is no longer seen by the provider.

What it is: Building an office-wide culture of vaccine confidence through internal and external messaging.

Key actions:

Practice-wide standards: Establish a written clinic immunization policy so all team members communicate consistent messaging.
Address misinformation with empathy: Train staff to listen to parent concerns, validate feelings, and share clear, science-backed guidance.
Update and train staff: Use staff meetings to give the most current vaccine recommendations and education on current issues.
Multilingual educational materials: Display and distribute culturally representative vaccine fact sheets in waiting and exam rooms.
Promote patient and parent education by including promotional material and links to reliable educational materials on the clinic’s social media, website, and in emails to new patients.

What it is: Using clear and consistent messaging from all clinical staff.

Key actions:

Use presumptive language: Introduce vaccines as a routine part of the day’s visit (e.g., "Today, Alex is due for three vaccines to keep him protected...").
Recommend the HPV vaccine beginning at age 9 for boys and girls.
Bundle recommendations: Recommend all vaccines due for the patient's age on the same day rather than separating doses.
Align provider messaging: Ensure clinicians, medical assistants, and nursing staff give clear, consistent recommendations and maintain a pro vaccination culture – provide link to website for educational information.
Schedule follow up appointment for 1-2 months from the first dose before the patient leaves: Have a plan in place if the patient cancels or doesn't show for the second appointment.
HPV educational staff training: Contact the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Immunization Program for an HPV educational training for your staff.

Guided immunization quality improvement with DHHS Immunization Program

IQIP is a free, 12-month program offered by the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Immunization Program for Vaccines for Children (VFC) providers. Designed by the CDC, IQIP pairs your practice with a VFC representative to identify custom QI strategies, optimize workflows, and track measurable improvements in USIIS.

Ready to elevate your clinic’s immunization rates? Partner with your local VFC provider relations representative to schedule an IQIP site visit or discuss customized strategies for your clinic.

Contact Utah VFC Provider Relations:

✉️ Email: [email protected] | 📞 Phone: (801) 538-9450

Assess your clinic’s immunization workflow

Where does your practice stand with routine quality improvement? Benchmark your clinic's processes below across the four evidence-based IQIP pillars. In under two minutes, this tool highlights high-impact workflow improvements your team can implement right away or tackle collaboratively through a Utah IQIP site visit.

Provider Quality Improvement

Immunization Quality Improvement Self-Assessment

Evaluate your clinic's current clinical workflow against the CDC's 4 evidence-based IQIP strategies. Select the rating that best reflects your practice today to identify targeted priorities for growth.

Current Practice Score

12 / 36 pts

Baseline / High QI Opportunity

1. Facilitate Return for Immunizations

Pre-Scheduling Next Visit: Staff routinely schedules the next well-child or immunization visit before the patient departs checkout.

Automated Reminders: Practice delivers electronic appointment reminders (SMS, email, portal) 24–48 hours prior to scheduled visits.

Overdue Recall System: Clinic runs regular monthly queries to identify and contact patients past due for milestone vaccines.

2. Leverage USIIS or EHR to Improve Practices

Clinical Decision Support (CDS): Clinical staff check USIIS or EHR alerts for missing doses at every encounter (well and acute visits).

Prompt USIIS Data Submission: All administered vaccine doses are documented and transmitted bi-directionally to USIIS promptly.

Coverage Rate Audits: Clinic regularly benchmarks childhood and adolescent coverage rates using USIIS or EHR registry reports.

3. Give a Strong Immunization Recommendation

Presumptive Recommendation: Clinicians frame vaccines as routine standard of care (e.g., "Alex is due for three vaccines today").

Same-Day Co-Administration: Practice bundles all eligible age-appropriate doses on the same day rather than deferring or splitting schedules.

Consistent Clinical Messaging: MAs, triage nurses, and physicians deliver aligned, reassuring recommendations across each visit touchpoint.

4. Strengthen Immunization Communications

Written Clinic Vaccine Policy: The practice maintains and reviews an established written clinic policy on immunization schedules and expectations.

Motivational Interviewing for Hesitancy: Staff are trained in empathetic listening, the 4-A method, or motivational interviewing to address hesitancy safely.

Multilingual Patient Handouts: Culturally competent, multilingual vaccine info sheets (AAP/CHOP) are accessible in exam rooms and patient portals.

Your Clinical Action Recommendations

Based on your self-assessment, prioritize these practical workflow adjustments with your clinical team:

Standardize Next-Visit Scheduling: Add checkout prompts in your practice management software to book return visits before families leave.
Audit USIIS Integration: Confirm electronic data interfaces are routinely synchronizing administered doses with Utah's state registry.

Vaccine one-pagers for providers

The Vaccine Education Center of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers information sheets about vaccine-preventable diseases and the vaccines that prevent them in both English and Spanish. These can be printed to offer in your waiting or exam rooms as one-pager or as QR codes for display.

View and print information sheets here

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The Immunization Facts for Families resources are designed to help clinicians facilitate immunization conversations. The series was developed with input and review from subject matter experts and families through end user testing. Each handout can be shared by printing or through a digital workflow before or after immunization appointments and administration. The fact sheets provide clear information on disease severity, transmission, vaccine side effects, and more. They are available in English and Spanish.

View and print information fact sheets here

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Clinical communication hub

Vaccine communication resources

Free CME

Listen and learn

Bite-sized videos

Immersive learing

More motivational interviewing CME

Have a specific question or need additional guidance?

Quick games and conversation guides

Core practice strategies

Guided immunization quality improvement with DHHS Immunization Program

Assess your clinic’s immunization workflow

Immunization Quality Improvement Self-Assessment

Your Clinical Action Recommendations

Vaccine one-pagers for providers

Other resources