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Vaccines And Communication

“What we got here is a failure to communicate.”

The National Library of Medicine has posted some information as the result of a national survey titled “Childhood Vaccine Risk/Benefit Communication In Private Practice Office Settings.”

According to the study, the national survey was conducted to identify whether physicians and nurses were communicating the risks/benefits of vaccination with parents. As noted in the study, communication about childhood vaccine risks and benefits has been legally required in pediatric health care for over a decade. (That statement says that doctors are legally required to discuss vaccine risks with parents, and have been required to do so for the past ten years.)

The study was set up to determine what written materials were given, by whom, and when. They also wanted to find out what physicians thought parents wanted/needed to know, what was the content of communication between nurses doctors and parents, and how much time was spent on discussion.

According to the study, 69 percent of pediatricians and 72 percent of family physicians reported that their offices gave parents the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine information statement. In about 70 percent of immunization visits, physicians and nurses reported initiating discussion on topics such as: common side effects, when to call the clinic again, and the immunization schedule.

However, less than 50 percent reported initiating discussion regarding contraindications and less than 10 percent initiated discussion regarding the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

According to the study, lack of time was considered the greatest barrier to vaccine risk/benefit communication. Doctors and nurses indicated that an additional 60 to 90 seconds was needed to optimally discuss immunization with parents under current conditions. (Is it any wonder why millions of parents have turned to the Internet, books, and other health-care providers to get this information?)

The study concluded that there was a mismatch between the legal mandate from vaccine information statement distribution and the actual practice of it in private office settings. While the majority of providers reported discussing some aspect of vaccine communication, 40 percent indicated that they did not mention risks. Vaccine communication in the physician setting needs to be clarified.

NCBI: Childhood Vaccine Risk/Benefit Communication in Private Practice Office Settings

Here are links to just a few of the many books available on vaccination:
Immunization: History, Ethics, Law and Health by Catherine J. M. Diodati
Childhood Vaccination: Questions All Parents Should Ask by Tedd Koren
The Sanctity of Human Blood: Vaccination is Not Immunization by Tim O’Shea

planetc1.com-news @ 7:51 am | Article ID: 981733889

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