Providing immunizations in a pediatric emergency department: underimmunization rates and parental acceptance

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Public Health
• Immunization Programs

Background:

• Many children present to healthcare settings with incomplete vaccination records.
• Assessing and addressing vaccination status in pediatric emergency departments is crucial for public health.
• Urban public hospitals serve diverse populations with varying access to routine healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate vaccination coverage among children presenting to a pediatric emergency department.
• To administer age-appropriate immunizations to eligible children.
• To determine the impact of documented under-immunization on vaccine acceptance.

Main Methods:

• Intervention study conducted in a pediatric emergency department.
• Convenience sample of children aged 0-72 months.
• Immunization provided to eligible children during their visit.

Main Results:

• Over 9,000 children were enrolled; 59% were under-immunized.
• 2,514 children received 6,482 immunizations.
• Parents with documentation of under-vaccination were nearly 5 times more likely to accept immunizations (71% vs. 15%).

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of children in the study were under-immunized.
• Documented under-vaccination strongly predicts parental acceptance of immunizations.
• Vaccinating in emergency departments is feasible and supports the need for accessible vaccine registries.