Building vaccine confidence among Queensland's healthcare workforce

Vaccine hesitancy is not new to Australian clinics, but the post-pandemic environment has sharpened attention on the issue, particularly among the people who administer them. Doctors, nurses, midwives, Aboriginal Health Workers and allied health staff across Queensland's public hospitals, private practices, and community outreach services increasingly field questions about safety, efficacy and timing from patients, colleagues and even their own families. The Queensland Health workforce alone spans more than 120,000 staff, and even small dips in uptake can translate into outbreaks of influenza, pertussis or measles in wards where the most vulnerable patients are treated.

A targeted education campaign, designed by clinicians for clinicians, offers a more durable response than blanket mandates or one-off information sessions. Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners brings together research institutes, universities and hospital services across the region, providing a natural platform to translate evidence about immunisation into practical, ward-ready conversations. The aim is not to lecture but to equip healthcare workers with the language, evidence and cultural awareness needed to counsel hesitant patients, while also addressing their own legitimate questions.

Why hesitancy persists among people who should know better

Healthcare workers are not immune to the same social, historical and personal factors that drive hesitancy in the wider community. Surveys of Australian hospital staff consistently find a small but meaningful group who delay or decline recommended vaccines, often citing concerns about rapid development timelines, conflicting media reports, or distrust of pharmaceutical sponsors. Others point to religious or philosophical beliefs, while some simply feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended immunisations, from annual flu shots to COVID-19 boosters and travel-related vaccines listed on the National Immunisation Program.

In Queensland specifically, the cultural diversity of the workforce adds another layer. Clinicians trained overseas bring varying experiences of vaccination programs from their home countries, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners may hold nuanced views shaped by community consultation and historical mistreatment within the health system. Recognising that hesitancy is often rational rather than irrational is the first step toward designing education that actually lands.

Listening before lecturing: understanding local drivers

Effective campaigns begin with structured listening. Focus groups held across Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, the Princess Alexandra, and the Townsville University Hospital have shown that frontline staff want clear answers to specific questions rather than generic reassurances. Questions about mRNA technology, fertility, myocarditis risk in young adults, and the safety of co-administering flu and COVID-19 vaccines consistently come up.

Site-specific data matters too. Immunisation rates vary noticeably between inner-Brisbane tertiary centres and regional facilities stretching out to Cairns and Mount Isa, and a one-size-fits-all message misses the mark. Researchers working on translational projects such as chronic kidney disease translational research have shown how locally generated evidence shapes clinical practice far more effectively than imported guidelines, and the same principle applies to vaccine uptake.

Peer-led education rather than top-down messaging

The most credible voices in any hospital corridor are usually the senior clinicians a few steps down the ward, not the executive team on a video call. Peer-led education models, where respected consultants, nurse educators and Aboriginal Health Workers deliver short, evidence-based sessions during protected teaching time, have proven far more engaging than mandatory online modules. A short yarn-style conversation during handover, for example, can address concerns in plain English without the corporate sheen that often breeds cynicism.

Queensland's universities, including the University of Queensland, QUT and Griffith, can co-design content through their translational research arms, ensuring the science is current and the language accessible. The Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union has also been a useful partner, helping frame immunisation not as a disciplinary matter but as a professional responsibility supported by good information.

Embedding cultural safety in every conversation

Cultural safety is non-negotiable in any Australian health context. Education campaigns aimed at healthcare workers must equip them to discuss vaccines with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients in ways that respect community-led decision-making, acknowledge the legacy of past medical harm, and avoid a paternalistic tone. This is more than a tick-box; it affects real outcomes in communities where trust has been eroded.

Partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations across South East Queensland and Cape York provide the foundation for culturally grounded messaging. Workers trained in these frameworks report higher confidence in raising the topic with patients, and patients themselves report feeling heard rather than coerced, which in turn lifts coverage rates for childhood immunisations, HPV and adult boosters.

Reaching staff in rural and remote services

Around a third of Queensland's healthcare workforce serves populations outside the south-east corner. Staff in Longreach, Roma, Thursday Island and the Torres Strait often juggle broader roles with fewer colleagues nearby, and their access to specialists, including infectious disease physicians, can be limited. A campaign that only operates within the metropolitan teaching hospital network risks deepening the divide.

Telehealth education sessions, recorded webinars, and locally appointed immunisation champions can close that gap. The Royal Flying Doctor Service and CheckUP Australia already provide outreach infrastructure that targeted campaigns can piggyback on. Critically, content must acknowledge the practical realities of remote work, including how to manage cold chain requirements, deal with infrequent resupply, and counsel patients who may be hundreds of kilometres from a tertiary centre.

Measuring what actually changes

A campaign without measurement is just goodwill. Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners and partner services need clear baseline indicators, including staff immunisation rates by category, uptake of educational modules, and qualitative shifts in confidence captured through pre- and post-campaign surveys. Linking these to downstream patient outcomes, such as reduced nosocomial influenza or improved childhood schedule completion, helps demonstrate value.

Research translation also offers a useful lens. Projects like preterm gut microbiome mapping demonstrate how rigorous evidence, paired with clear communication, can shift clinical behaviour. The same toolkit applies to immunisation, where confidence is built not through volume but through trust in the people delivering the message.

Sustaining trust beyond the initial rollout

Vaccine confidence is not a one-off project; it is an ongoing relationship. Campaigns that wind down after a single funding cycle risk losing the gains made, particularly as new vaccines enter the schedule or as misinformation evolves on social media. Embedding immunisation communication into existing clinical education frameworks ensures the work becomes part of professional identity rather than an additional chore.

Mentorship programs that pair senior immunisers with newer staff, regular journal clubs reviewing the latest safety data, and a standing advisory committee that includes consumer representatives all contribute to a sustainable model. Over time, the workforce itself becomes the most powerful advocate, speaking to colleagues, patients and families with credibility that no pamphlet can match.

If your service is shaping a vaccine confidence initiative for healthcare staff, the Brisbane Diamantina Health Partners team welcomes a conversation about co-design, evaluation, and connecting your work with established research networks across the state. Reach out through the partnership enquiries page to start the conversation.