It’s worth the shot
Brief intervention for primary care providers to support community confidence in COVID vaccination
Shared decision-making resources for GPs, practice nurses and community pharmacists
'It’s worth the shot' is a training package to support GPs, practice nurses and pharmacists in primary care to conduct opportunistic conversations with patients who are vaccine-hesitant, or need reminding about having a COVID-19 booster shot.
Quick links
What's inside
The information below has everything you need to learn about, and deliver a brief intervention for COVID-19 vaccination.
- Short introduction
- Training video and role-play for GPs and General Practices
- Training video and role-play for Practice Nurses
- Training video and role-play for Pharmacists
- Individualised Tip Sheets
- Print-ready sets of Benefits and Decision cards
- How to order hard-copy sets of the conversation cards from the Australian Government Department of Health
Overview
The majority of Australians have taken up COVID-19 vaccination enthusiastically, but some in the community still feel reluctant to vaccinate, or are complacent about having booster shots.
This package is based on the growing body of research that shows that trust, rapport and community cohesion on an issue such as COVID-19 vaccination is best built through ‘sharing and caring’, rather than ‘telling and selling'.
It incorporates principles of shared decision-making in medicine, and person-centred care and includes two sets of illustrated story cards to use as engaging visual aids. Primary care practitioners are encouraged to use this intervention to stimulate conversations about feelings of hesitancy towards vaccination. They have the authority, trust and credibility to offer brief intervention with patients. and are encouraged to use this intervention to stimulate conversations about feelings of hesitancy towards vaccination.
The training package includes a training video and role-play, and Tip Sheets individualised for:
- GPs and General Practices
- Practice Nurses
- Pharmacists
There is also a Tip Sheet for Primary Health Networks.
‘It’s worth the shot’ has been developed by the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) in collaboration with expert public health and clinical advisers, with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.
GPs and General Practices
In this video, Dr Paresh Dawda from Prestantia Health, explains the brief invention theory and demonstrates how it might be used in a role-play using the Benefits and Decision Cards. The video concludes with a feedback discussion with Dr Dawda, Rhyan Stanley, Pharmacist and Dianne Bowden, Registered Nurse and Authorised Nurse Immuniser.
Familiarisation and role play video
What now?
The training video is accompanied by a Tip Sheet individualised for GPs and General Practitioners. Head to the Tip Sheets section to get your copy. The Resources section gives you access to printable copies of the Benefits and Decision cards. You can order sets of printed cards from the Department of Health. For more details see the 'How to order' section below.
Practice Nurses
In this video, Dr Paresh Dawda from Prestantia Health, explains the brief invention. Dianne Bowden, Registered Nurse and Authorised Nurse Immuniser, demonstrates how it might be used in a role-play using the Benefits and Decision Cards. The video concludes with a feedback discussion with Dr Dawda, Rhyan Stanley, Pharmacist and Dianne Bowden.
Familiarisation and role play video
What now?
The training video is accompanied by a Tip Sheet individualised for Practice Nurses. Head to the Tip Sheets section to get your copy. The Resources section gives you access to printable copies of the Benefits and Decision cards. You can order sets of printed cards from the Department of Health. For more details see the 'How to order' section below.
Pharmacists
In this video, Dr Paresh Dawda from Prestantia Health, explains the brief invention. Rhyan Stanley, Pharmacist, demonstrates how it might be used in a role-play using the Benefits and Decision Cards. The video concludes with a feedback discussion with Dr Dawda, Rhyan, and Dianne Bowden, Registered Nurse and Authorised Nurse Immuniser.
Familiarisation and role play video
What now?
The training video is accompanied by a Tip Sheet individualised for Pharmacists. Head to the Tip Sheets section to get your copy. The Resources section gives you access to printable copies of the Benefits and Decision cards. You can order sets of printed cards from the Department of Health. For more details see the 'How to order' section below.
Tip Sheets
The Tip Sheets are handy explainers about the brief intervention and how to initiating spontaneous conversations, use the Benefits and Decision cards, and offer verified information in a relaxed and personal way.
There are suggestions as to when and how you can "nudge" patients, and some interpersonal and micro-skills you can use to aid conversations. They are a valuable tool in supporting people on the pathway to deciding to get vaccinated.
The Tip Sheets are individualised for:
Benefits and decision cards
The cards demonstrated in the videos are an engaging way to encourage discussion between health professionals and vaccine-hesitant patients. In this section, you can access downloadable copies of the Benefits and Decision cards and find out out to order free hard copies of the cards from the Department of Health.
There are two sets of cards designed to lead discussions, help identify concerns, and provide insight into potential ways forward from indecision to decision.
Please encourage your patients to share the cards with friends and family in the wider community, if available.
Below you can find:
- How to order free hard copy cards from the Department of Health
- Electronic versions of the Benefits and Decision cards
- A poster - can be used to display a reminder about the intervention.
Benefits Cards
Download PDF
593 KB, 6 cards, 12 pages
(normal resolution for screens)
Download PDF
4.6 MB, 6 cards, 12 pages
(high resolution for commercial print)
Decision cards
Download PDF
2 MB, 10 cards, 20 pages
(normal resolution for screens)
Download PDF
4.7 MB, 10 cards, 20 pages
(high resolution for commercial print)
How to order
General Practices, GPs, Practice Nurses, Pharmacists, Practice Managers, and Primary Health Networks can order copies of the COVID TRAINING CARD SET - DECISIONS & BENEFITS cards by contacting the Department of Health National Mailing and Marketing:
- Email - health@nationalmailing.com.au
- Phone - 02 6269 1080
Quote the Order ID: X10025 and the Description: COVID TRAINING CARD SET – DECISION Cards & BENEFITS Cards – CHF, the quantity of the resource you wish to order and your delivery address.
Community outreach
In addition to the training package for GPs, Pharmacists and Nurses, a forerunner community outreach project was developed which included a handbook and session notes to use the story cards for community-based conversations to promote vaccine confidence.
More information about these self-directed resources is available here.