Pediatricians Fall Short In Discussing Vaccine Risks With Parents.(Brief Article)

2001 MAR 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

by N.R. Saltmarsh, staff medical writer - Despite legal mandates in the United States, pediatricians are inconsistent in their communication of vaccination risks to parents, according to survey results published in the journal Pediatrics.

Nationally, only 40% reported discussing risks with parents and most said the current system could use some improvement. Any effort to standardize delivery of this critical health care information would have to take into account the time crunch that busy doctors face.

"Communication about childhood vaccine risks and benefits has been legally required in pediatric health care for over a decade," noted T.C. Davis and colleagues at Louisiana State University. "However, little is known about the actual practice of vaccine risk/benefit communication."

Davis and team conducted 32 focus groups in six U.S. cities and mailed surveys to a random national sample of private physicians who were fellows in the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Academy of Family Physicians. Office nurses also responded, for an overall response rate was 71%.

"Sixty-nine percent of pediatricians and 72% of family physicians self-reported their offices gave parents the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Information Statement, while 62% and 58%, respectively, gave it with every dose," reported Davis et al.

Although the practitioners discussed such issues as side effects, when to call the office, and the immunization schedule at approximately 70% of immunization visits, they were much less likely to initiate discussion of contraindications or mention the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. In fact, only 40% of providers said they mentioned risks at all.