The Health Ministry has prepared a “Vaccination Communication Guide,” that explains the process to be followed by health care professionals in order to provide the right information to those who avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine and enable them to make informed decisions.
The guide has been sent to 81 provinces of Turkey to be delivered to health personnel working throughout the country. In addition, a training video within the framework of the information in the guide has been made available digitally and on the internet.
In the guide – where it was stated that anti-vaxxers and those who were delaying the COVID-19 vaccination were exposed to a lot of inaccurate information – the importance of providing them with correct information from the right sources was emphasized.
The guide pointed out that those who are not vaccinated should not be informed so as to persuade them but rather should be provided information so they can arrive at an informed decision. As such, the guide makes many recommendations to health care professionals.
“Your way of communicating with people is to talk, learn about their concerns and approach with empathy. Listening sincerely will make the other person feel accepted. After the person feels accepted, the explanations you will make in the light of scientific data will reach their place,” the guide outlined.
In the guide, it was emphasized that body language, facial expressions, gestures and mimics were more effective than speech, and it was noted that for effective communication, the interviewee should be faced, eye contact should be established and the person should listen actively.
The guide stated that it was important to listen to the questions of those who postpone getting the COVID-19 vaccine and to answer them clearly. It was stated that they should be made to feel their concerns are understood.
In the guide, the importance of the vaccine for the healthy continuation of social life was pointed out.
The guide asked health care workers to remind unvaccinated people of this point: “The vaccine allows you to come together with your loved ones safely and hug them. When the majority of our society is vaccinated, we will be able to return to doing the activities we love without wearing masks and without distances.”