A complementary approach to the vaccination promotion continuum: An immunization-specific motivational-interview training for nurses.

Abstract

AIM\nTo develop and validate immunization-specific motivational-interview (MI) training for immunization nurses.\n\n\nBACKGROUND\nWe previously demonstrated that a MI-based intervention on immunisation, performed during postpartum by MI-trained healthcare workers at the hospital maternity ward, reduced parental vaccine hesitancy (VH) and increased vaccine coverage of their children. In this study, we propose immunization-specific MI training for immunization nurses. Together, MI-based training and interventions provide complementary approaches to existing strategies along the vaccination promotion continuum.\n\n\nDESIGN\nMultiple pretest/posttest design with questionnaires self-administered before and after each training days (4 time points).\n\n\nMETHODS\nWe developed an in-person immunization-specific MI-training workshop for immunization nurses, held on two days three months apart, with 7\u202fh of MI-training dispensed on day 1, and 4\u202fh on day 2. The self-administered Motivational Interviewing Skills in Immunization (MISI) questionnaire was used at four time points (before and after each of the 2 training days) to evaluate three core aspects of participant MI training: (1) MI-knowledge acquisition; (2) MI-skills application and (3) self-rated self-confidence in applying MI knowledge and skills in vaccination clinical practice. Between November 2016 to December 2017, 34 immunization nurses enrolled in our MI-training workshops.\n\n\nRESULTS\nThe immunization-specific MI-training improved the three core areas evaluated in participants i.e. MI-knowledge acquisition, MI-skills application, and self-rated self-confidence in applying these in vaccination clinical practice.\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nOur immunization-specific MI-training enabled immunization nurses to significantly improve MI knowledge, skills and self-confidence in applying MI in the clinic. These results, taken together with those on the MI-based intervention for parents that we previously reported, support the notion of proposing validated immunization-specific MI training for immunization nurses in order to curb parental VH.\n\n\nIMPACT\nImmunization-specific MI-training would be easily amenable for the training of other health professionals in the field of immunization to help promote vaccination and curb parental VH.