Skip to main content
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Current News
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • Digital Health
    • Transformation
    • ESG
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Blogs
    • AI
    • Deals
    • Layoff Tracker
    • HIMSS 2023
  • Opinion
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • From the Editor
  • Events & Awards
    • Awards
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Virtual Briefings
    • Webinars
    • Nominate/Eligibility
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 40 Under 40
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top Innovators
    • Diversity in Healthcare
      • - Luminaries
      • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
      • - Leaders to Watch
    • Women Leaders
    • Digital Health Transformation Summit
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
    • - Looking Ahead to 2024
    • - AI and Digital Health
    • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
  • Data & Insights
    • Data & Insights Home
    • Hospital Financials
    • Staffing & Compensation
    • Quality & Safety
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Data Archive
    • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
    • Surveys
    • Data Points
  • Newsletters
  • MORE+
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Providers
August 29, 2016 12:00 AM

Pediatricians offer guidelines for addressing parents hesitant to vaccinate

Maria Castellucci
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    child getting shot - vaccine

    Oftentimes pediatricians will face a challenge in their practice: Concerned parents who hesitate or refuse to vaccinate their children.

    A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics found that 87% of pediatricians in 2013 encountered a parent who declined a vaccine for their child. The figure is up by 12% from 2006 when 74.5% of pediatricians said parents refused a vaccine for their child.

    The persistent concern from parents and guardians has motivated the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization that represents 60,000 providers, to issue a companion report that offers suggestions for pediatricians to deal with the dilemma.

    The 15-page report emphasizes the importance of listening to the parents' specific concerns and questions, and addressing them with factual evidence. The report provides details on the rigorous regulation process for the approval of vaccines as well as emphasizes the importance of providing data to parents that shows the effectiveness of immunizations and the dangers of acquiring vaccine-protected diseases. For the first time, the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges circumstances where a physician may dismiss a patient from their practice after all attempts to vaccinate the child fail.

    The Pediatrics study, which was conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that most parents, 73%, were hesitant or refused to administer a vaccine because they didn't think it was necessary.

    The overwhelming success of vaccines to fight off highly contagious ailments has led parents to question if vaccines are necessary, said Dr. Kathryn Edwards, lead author of the report and a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt University.

    Edwards said an effective way to convince parents vaccines are still necessary are to draw from personal experiences. “I was a pediatric resident over 40 years ago. I remember what meningitis can do to children so sharing that experience can be helpful for a parent.”

    Dr. Claire McCarthy, a pediatrician at Boston Children's Hospital, said she often tells hesitant or refusing patients that she vaccinated all of her children and receives the flu vaccination herself every year without adverse effects.

    McCarthy also said that she makes efforts to establish trust between herself and a parent. “I really try in my practice to build strong relationships from the get go and make it clear that I care about their child,” she said. “I try to practice medicine that works with parents, not against them.”

    Dr. Scott Krugman, director of the department of pediatrics at MedStar Franklin Medical Center in Baltimore, has found that the language he uses with parents assumes the patient is getting the vaccine. He uses phrases like, “These are the vaccines we are giving today.” He said he doesn't ask it like a question, normalizing the experience for parents. The report supports this tactic as an effective strategy.

    The report emphasizes the duty of the pediatrician to abide by state law and to ensure another provider is available for the child. In instances when another provider is not available, the pediatrician should continue to care for that child. About 11% of providers in 2013 reported they would dismiss patients for continual vaccination refusal, up from 6% in 2006.

    Krugman said the report is a welcome relief for providers, especially those with policies that dismiss patients. “Pediatricians have been doing this and feeling on their own,” he said.

    The overwhelming hesitancy and refusal by parents also strains already-busy physicians, the report states. It argues that additional research should be conducted to better understand the best methods to communicate to parents and to uncover the sources of hesitancy and refusal.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
    Dollar sign money
    Local Infusion scores $10M in funding, plans expansion
    handshake deal
    More academic partnerships to come, despite financial hurdles
    Most Popular
    1
    Cigna Medicare Advantage future murky amid sale speculation
    2
    Cigna, Humana in talks for merger this year: WSJ
    3
    Teladoc CEO tamps down expectations of GLP-1s
    4
    BJC, Saint Luke's of Kansas City merger to close soon
    5
    Community Health Systems seeks growth through acquisitions
    Sponsored Content
    Modern Healthcare A.M. Newsletter: Sign up to receive a comprehensive weekday morning newsletter designed for busy healthcare executives who need the latest and most important healthcare news and analysis.
    Get Newsletters

    Sign up for enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today
    MH Magazine Cover

    MH magazine offers content that sheds light on healthcare leaders’ complex choices and touch points—from strategy, governance, leadership development and finance to operations, clinical care, and marketing.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Modern Healthcare empowers industry leaders to succeed by providing unbiased reporting of the news, insights, analysis and data.

    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Help Center
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Current News
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • Digital Health
      • Transformation
        • Patients
        • Operations
        • Care Delivery
        • Payment
      • ESG
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition (Web Version)
    • Blogs
      • AI
      • Deals
      • Layoff Tracker
      • HIMSS 2023
    • Opinion
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • From the Editor
    • Events & Awards
      • Awards
        • Nominate/Eligibility
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • 40 Under 40
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top Innovators
        • Diversity in Healthcare
          • - Luminaries
          • - Top 25 Diversity Leaders
          • - Leaders to Watch
        • Women Leaders
      • Conferences
        • Digital Health Transformation Summit
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Diversity Leaders Gala
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Virtual Briefings
        • - Looking Ahead to 2024
        • - AI and Digital Health
        • - Hospital of the Future (Fall)
      • Webinars
    • Multimedia
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
      • Sponsored Video Series - Checking In with Dan Peres
    • Data & Insights
      • Data & Insights Home
      • Hospital Financials
      • Staffing & Compensation
      • Quality & Safety
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Data Archive
      • Resource Guide: By the Numbers
      • Surveys
      • Data Points
    • Newsletters
    • MORE+
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing