As a primary care physician, you know the importance of making sure all of your patients are properly immunized — but in today's healthcare climate, compliance is sometimes tough to come by.

Some patients don't remember they need to come in for a shot; other patients question the safety and necessity of vaccinations due to media reports.

The good news: there are simple and highly effective steps you can take to ensure your patients understand the medical purpose of their essential vaccinations, and comply with receiving them.

Here are some great scientifically-proven guidelines to help you accomplish this key task:

Schedule appointments yourself.

A Rutgers University study found that patients are three times more likely to show up for a flu shot if their PCP schedules it — only 5 percent of patients surveyed actually turned up to be immunized if left to make their own appointments.

Triple up on reminders.

Once you schedule a patient's immunization appointment, make sure your staff sends automated reminders through multiple avenues — phone calls, texts and emails. Research from the University of Colorado shows that the easier you make it for your patient to remember it's time to get a shot, the more likely they will be to follow through.

Communicate clearly.

A new study from Orlando Health finds than more than one-half of parents mistakenly believe that their children can get the flu from a flu shot. What's more is that a third of parents wrongly think that the flu shot offers no actual protection from the flu.

Many doctors are also dealing with patients who falsely believe vaccinations are unsafe for their children due to inaccurate info on social media and from celebrities. This misinformation may cause them to unintentionally expose their children to serious health risks.

It's crucial for you as a doctor to take the time to explain in plain language why immunizations are critically important, and impart factual medical info to back this up.

Be transparent, then listen to your patient's worries without judgment or derision. Kindly relieve their concerns, and explain that you have their best interests in mind when you urge them to get the vaccinations they, and their families, need. A supportive, respectful approach will work wonders.

Be a role model.

Make sure your patients know you personally receive all of your essential shots, and that each member of your staff does as well. Posting a notice stating that all workers in your office have up-to-date immunizations is a great way to do this.

Make getting a shot as comfortable as possible.

Your nurse or NP should take care to describe exactly how the shot will feel to an anxious patient, and make the experience as quick and pleasant as possible — distracting the patient with a joke always works well.

The goal is to show your patient that getting an immunization is always a positive thing, which will make receiving them in the future a no-brainer.