To assist GPs who may be approached by patients seeking a vaccination exemption without medical grounds, we are sharing the following communication from the Medical Council of NSW.
In addition to this advice, GPs can remind patients they are bound by the Medical Board of Australia’s code of conduct that states:
“Doctors have a responsibility to protect and promote the health of individuals and the community … While individual doctors have their own personal beliefs and values, there are certain professional values on which all doctors are expected to base their practice.”
Advice from the Medical Council of NSW: change the conversation
Some patients may seek an exemption from you without medical grounds. These conversations can be quite confronting.
Dr Karen Price, President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says:
“In these instances, it’s important to have a discussion with the patient and try to get to the bottom of their concerns and explain the benefits of vaccination for them and their unique situation. While it may be a challenging process, GPs are in a great position to support patients who are vaccine hesitant and encourage vaccine uptake.”
If a patient comes to you aggressively demanding a vaccination exemption without fulfilling the medical criteria for it, try to deescalate their aggressive behaviours.
You can do this by:
- listening to the patient attentively,
- making the interaction patient-centred,
- explaining that you can’t give exemptions without evidence of genuine medical contraindications, and
- using the NSW Government’s Contraindication Form as a tool to demonstrate that the patient does not have the medical grounds for exemption.
The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) – immunisation medical exemption form specifically lists the medical contraindications relevant to each vaccine. By going through the list with the patient, it can be easier to tell them they don’t qualify for an exemption.
Talking through the patient’s fears and anxieties about the COVID-19 vaccines can give you an opportunity to correct any misinformation that is influencing their vaccine hesitancy.
By certifying medical contraindications responsibly, you are protecting the wellbeing of your patients and the community at large.