Understanding vaccine hesitancy & building vaccine confidence through effective conversations

Vaccine hesitancy was listed as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019 by the WHO. Hesitancy is one of the main factors that impact vaccine coverage rate and correct information is a crucial tool to fight the current infodemic that we are facing. Direct communication with patients is a key opportunity for pharmacists to unlock possible fears of vaccines and provide clear and evidence-based messages to support vaccine uptake. This event will outline evidence-based strategies for developing pharmacist-led interventions which focus on communication with patients in order to build vaccine confidence and improve uptake. Learning Objectives • Understanding vaccine hesitancy at individual level;; and • Discuss possible tools for pharmacists in building effective conversation . • Understand concrete efforts in community pharmacies for the promotion of vaccination through effective communication strategies Moderator: -Boyan Todorov, President of the FIP Health and Medicines Information Section, President of the FIP Health and Medicines Information Section FIP, Switzerland Panellists: Helen Petousis-Harris, Associate Professor and Vaccinologist University of Auckland, New Zealand Amy Chan, Global Lead – Workforce Transformation, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, and Lead of the Academic Practice Unit, University of Auckland, and Auckland District Health Board, New Zealand Rosario Cáceres, Community pharmacist, vaccines expert and vaccine confidence advocate, Royal Pharmaceutical College of Seville and Andalusian Council of Pharmacists, Spain