[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]If you’re a nurse who has administered a vaccine, congratulations — you just helped save a life! Vaccines limit the spread of disease and prevent people from contracting debilitating illnesses. They’re one of the most cost-effective preventative health strategies we use in modern health care.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses play a key role in vaccine administration beyond giving shots. Find out how nurses save lives by promoting public health and building trust in communities.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Nurses’ Role in Vaccines and Patient Education[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses are role models for health in the public. According to provision 5 of the [hen-ui-link href=”/resources//nursing-code-of-ethics/”]Nursing Code of Ethics,[/hen-ui-link] nurses must first practice personal wellness to promote public health. Millions of nurses demonstrated this when the COVID-19 vaccine first became available. As nurses stepped forward to become inoculated, they sent a message that the vaccine is safe, effective, and crucial for stopping the spread of the disease.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Shelley Burke, DNP, is a registered nurse and full-time faculty at the University of California Irvine. A nurse with nearly four decades of experience, Burke has spent much of her career educating patients about preventative health strategies, including vaccines.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]She says it’s up to healthcare professionals to spread quality health information. Nurses can help patients by dispelling myths or misinformation available online.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Burke says nurses should encourage patients to gather vaccine-related information from credible sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). These organizations use a process of medical research that’s peer-reviewed and approved by subject matter experts.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In addition to quality resources, nurses can provide one-on-one education to patients. Nurses can help patients make informed decisions by providing education on:[/hen-ui-text]
  • Vaccine efficacy and safety
  • Vaccine benefits
  • Myths about vaccines
[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Burke says nurses should “be the voice of healthcare awareness and proactive treatment to minimize the spread of diseases.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]How Nurses Provide Public Health Education[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]To educate patients about public health situations like disease outbreaks, nurses must be kept up to date on health research themselves. They’re responsible for educating patients about how diseases behave, like how they spread and attack the body.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses also teach patients how vaccines work and why they’re important for stopping the spread of disease.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”By remaining knowledgeable about the importance and process of necessary vaccinations, nurses can educate patients on vaccines’ efficacy and safety,” Burke says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Burke encourages nurses to use their authority to promote preventative health and provide vaccine education in:[/hen-ui-text]
  • Schools
  • Hospitals
  • Clinics
  • Organizations
[hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]Addressing Health Misinformation[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]How many times in recent years have you heard different information about vaccines? With constantly changing news and conflicting information available online, it’s no wonder the public has reservations about getting vaccinated.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]A [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7532328/”]2020 study[/hen-ui-link] conducted in the United States sought to determine the root of health misinformation. Experts considered psychological factors that could lead to the spread of false information online. The study looked at emotional factors like confirmation bias, which is when someone searches a topic until their theory is proven correct.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The study found a pattern that leads to healthcare mistrust. When individuals are repeatedly exposed to conflicting information, they begin to believe quality sources are not credible. This can lead to behavior changes like not seeking healthcare or making unsafe decisions.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Health mistrust causes poor provider-patient relationships and can make people sick. Nurses must recognize knowledge gaps in the public and use their authority to keep patients healthy. Misinformation and mistrust has been even more prevalent since the COVID-19 pandemic.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”With their dual roles as educators and care providers, nurses have the unique advantage of influencing healthcare education that can lead to informed decision-making,” Burke says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]The Roots of Vaccine Hesitation[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The WHO defines [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/ten-threats-to-global-health-in-2019″]vaccine hesitancy[/hen-ui-link] as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The spread of false health information online is largely to blame for vaccine hesitancy. With the spread of conspiracy theories and inaccurate scientific facts, it’s impossible to control the information people share with one another.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Hesitancy surrounding vaccines comes from not fully understanding their use and, in other cases, skepticism of the healthcare system,” Burke says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Healthcare skepticism existed long before the days of the internet or COVID-19. Researchers attribute the Tuskegee Syphilis Study to healthcare mistrust dating back to the 1930s.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]In this 40-year-long government study, African American men in Alabama were intentionally denied treatment for syphilis so that researchers could study its natural progression. Participants died under the impression they were receiving treatment.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Burke discusses the lasting implications of unethical medical practices.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”That study and other atrocious healthcare practices towards African Americans remain a concern and a hesitancy to believe in some health treatment, such as vaccines,” she says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Healthcare professionals and researchers have spent decades improving ethical practices to rebuild trust in vulnerable populations. However, vaccine hesitancy remains widespread today.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]It’s crucial nurses consider the roots of mistrust in the healthcare system when promoting vaccines and public health education.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]3 Reasons Why Vaccinations Are Important[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses save lives by administering vaccines, but for many patients, the real challenge is showing up to receive the inoculation in the first place.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Patients and parents or guardians may express vaccine hesitancy for a number of reasons. As a nurse, you can help patients make informed decisions with science-backed facts.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Here’s how you can educate patients on why getting the vaccine is important to protect themselves and others.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]1. Vaccines Prevent Debilitating Illness[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The CDC has established a recommended vaccination schedule to help protect individuals against infectious diseases throughout their lives.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Thanks to vaccines, diseases like polio are no longer widespread — and we’ve prevented the debilitating effects of many other diseases.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”There has been a decrease or nonexistence of many deadly or crippling diseases due to the benefits of vaccines,” Burke says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Vaccines help protect us against serious diseases such as:[/hen-ui-text]
  • COVID-19
  • Influenza
  • Measles
  • Shingles
  • Rubella
  • Chickenpox
  • Certain cancers
[hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]2. Vaccines Prevent the Spread of Disease[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Vaccines have been proven to stop the spread of disease, as we’ve seen with the COVID-19 pandemic.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”The evidence of vaccines’ safety and efficacy is seen currently in this worldwide pandemic,” Burke says. “A body protected by vaccines saves us time and money spent recovering from an illness.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]3. Vaccines Are Safe[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]After decades of research and surveillance, vaccines have been proven safe and effective, with minimal side effects. The CDC monitors vaccine safety by performing safety research, monitoring reactions, and watching for adverse reactions in the public.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Parents or guardians may express uncertainty about vaccinating their children. If you work in pediatrics, use the [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/about-vacc-conversations.html”]CDC’s guidelines[/hen-ui-link] for having conversations about vaccines with parents.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]How Do Vaccines Work?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]There are an estimated [hen-ui-link href=”https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/viruses-can-help-us-as-well-as-harm-us/”]380 trillion viruses[/hen-ui-link] living on and inside the human body, and our bodies are experts at fighting them off. However, certain germs may lead to serious illness.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]For example, a person infected with the human coronavirus may contract the disease process known as COVID-19. The most effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19 is by getting vaccinated. The CDC recommends everyone above 5 years old get the COVID-19 vaccine.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Vaccines work by teaching our immune system to recognize certain viruses. After receiving a vaccine, our body will be more prepared to fight back,” Burke says.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]When a vaccinated person is exposed to the offending virus, they’re less likely to get sick. If they do, the symptoms might be less severe.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Burke explains that vaccines are made from small amounts of “weakened or dead germs” that introduce a threat to our immune system. With the right information, our immune systems use the correct equipment to fight off the virus.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]And with the right health education, patients can make safe decisions for themselves. Nurses save lives by helping patients understand how vaccines work.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Nurses educate patients about vaccines, so they’re comfortable making life-changing health decisions. Here are some common questions patients may ask nurses about vaccines.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]Can Vaccines Be Mixed?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Yes, patients can receive one vaccine and be boosted with another, as long as they’ve waited the recommended amount of time. The [hen-ui-link href=”https://covid19.nih.gov/news-and-stories/mixing-matching-covid-19-vaccine-booster-doses”]National Institutes of Health[/hen-ui-link] states:[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]”Mixing vaccines may enhance the immune response, and it increases flexibility for when people need a booster dose, but doses of the vaccine they first received are not available.”[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]Where Are Vaccines Made?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Vaccines are made of antigens and preservatives. The antigen is the particle that causes an immune response. This is either made from tiny particles of the germ itself or a weakened germ that isn’t a threat.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]Why Are Vaccines Important for COVID-19?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Getting vaccinated helps control the spread of COVID-19 and keeps people out of the hospital. The COVID-19 vaccine prevents serious illness or death.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h3″]What Vaccines Do I Need Before Traveling?[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Depending on where you’re going, you may need to protect yourself against illnesses native to the area. Find out which vaccines you need before traveling. You may need to be protected against illnesses you’re not exposed to at home like:[/hen-ui-text]
  • Cholera
  • Typhoid
  • Japanese encephalitis
[hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]You may be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine when traveling. Check each country’s requirements before international travel. Some countries require a COVID-19 vaccination, while others require a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″]Whether you’re traveling within the U.S. or internationally, the CDC recommends checking the area’s COVID-19 situation before planning your travel.[/hen-ui-text][hen-ui-heading variant=”h2″]Meet Our Contributor[/hen-ui-heading][hen-ui-flex direction=”column” gap=”lg”][hen-ui-expert-bio name=”Shelley Burke, DNP, Assistant Clinical Professor” img-src=”https://res.cloudinary.com/highereducation/image/upload/c_fill,h_300,w_300/v1631039417/NurseJournal.org/profile-rounded_525552b351.png” img-alt=”Shelley Burke, DNP, Assistant Clinical Professor” layout=”horizontal” background=”white” /][hen-ui-text variant=”b4″ slot=”contentRight” class=”text-base”]Shelley Burke, DNP, is a registered nurse and full-time faculty at the University of California, Irvine. Burke’s career spans almost four decades, starting as a bedside nurse in Texas. Burke established her career in several specialties, such as pediatrics, adult medical-surgical, women’s health, and labor and delivery.[/hen-ui-text][/hen-ui-flex]