Vaccines: The Invisible Killer's Nemesis

Disease has been known to humankind as the invisible killer for centuries. Plagues destroying towns, people dying for unexplainable reasons, and children dying all too soon. The miracle of modern medicine has permitted society to to have significant control over these terrifying invisible killer outbreaks. The vaccine is one of the greatest miracles of modern medicine. For example, the vaccine for the polio virus has virtually eliminated the incidences of polio in humans. “Vaccines represent a low-risk intervention administer according to a schedule in which there are currently no known acceptable alternatives.” (Opel et al. 2013). Vaccines protect the person who has been vaccinated from viruses and the more persons vaccinated the more

al. 2013). There have been many misconceptions about vaccines due to incorrect information on the internet and incorrect lay knowledge that vaccines cause children to become autistic or contract cancer. These claims have not yet been proven but continue to be reported by the media, which scares parents. Doctor Douglas J. Opel conducted a study to research regarding how physician vaccination discussions with parents and physician vaccine recommendations affect the parents’ decision to vaccinate their children. The Opel team set up video cameras in the patient rooms that recorded from when the doctor entered the room to when the patient walked out. The study showed that “Among all parents, a larger proportion resisted vaccine recommendations when providers used a participatory discussion format rather than presumptive initiation format.” (Opel et. al. 2013). Thus, physicians taking a presumptive approach such as saying, “So we will have to do some shots today,” lead more parents to agree to have their children

Doctor’s Thomas Szasz and Marc Hollender have theorized: “physician-patient interactions fall into one of three possible models: activity-passivity, guidance-cooperation, and mutual participation.” (Cockerham 2016). Activity-passivity is typically an emergency situation where the physician has all the power and makes all the decisions. Guidance-cooperation is often when the patient has an acute health problem and is aware of what is going on, but the physician makes the decisions. Mutual-participation the patient works with the physician as a full participant, sharing in the power. A physician-parent discussion regarding whether or not to vaccinate parents’ children may be both guidance-cooperation and mutual-participation depending how the physician presents the question. The physician could use a presumptive format by saying “Well, we have to do some shots today”, which would be classified in guidance-cooperation if the parent has no objections. Or the physician could use a participatory format saying “Are we going to do some shots today?”, this would be classified as mutual-participation as the physician opens up the floor for the parent’s choice. In Doctor Opel’s study the evidence showed the participatory format/mutual participation format lead to more parents resisting