[Compliance with the vaccination recommendations for 0- to 24-month-old infants in general or paediatric practice]

To describe the vaccine practice of general practitioners and paediatricians for the 0-24-month-old infants and their deviations to the official recommendations.

One thousand three hundred and fifty-five practitioners, 46 +/- 8-year-old took part in the survey. Among them 42.7% were general practitioners and 57.3% were paediatrician. Only one third of them, strictly complied with the official vaccination recommendation (33.1%). This percentage was higher for the general practitioners (43.4%) than for the paediatricians (25.5% P < 0.001). When practitioners adapted the vaccination program, their modifications essentially concerned the first administration of the DTCP Hib vaccine, which was delayed of 1 or 2 months. Some vaccines were specifically concerned by the modifications. The ROR was delayed and the vaccination coverage reached only 75% at 18 months. General practitioners adapted the vaccination calendar more often than paediatricians (16.9 vs. 9.0%: P < 0.05). The B Hepatitis vaccination schedule was the most frequently adapted one by general practitioners as well as paediatricians to deal with multiple injections (53.5%), and the age of the infants (39.1%).

The availability of hexavalent vaccination containing B Hepatitis should contribute to increase the vaccination coverage of the population against B Hepatitis and could allow an antipneumococcal vaccination through an heptavalent vaccine without increasing the number of injections. On the other hand, general practitioners and paediatricians must actively contribute to increase the ROR vaccination coverage.