Vaccinations in women

Obstetricians/gynecologists who deliver primary care have an opportunity to enhance the preventive care of their patients. At the first visit with each patient, the vaccination history should be taken. Systems should be developed to remind the physician and office staff of the need for influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, including prompts for patients. One should create or use forms already developed by the CDC to record vaccination data in the patient chart. Additional information is available on the Web at www.cdc.gov/nip provided by the National Immunization Program. The Facts and Comparisons section has a Web site with links to other sources: www.immunofacts.com. All current recommendations of the ACIP are included in the reference list.