Clinicians' opinions on new vaccination programs implementation

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Several new vaccines are nearing approval or are already available in Canada.
• Decision-makers must determine which vaccines to fund in public vaccination programs.
• Physician opinions are crucial for successful new vaccine program implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Canadian pediatricians' and family physicians' opinions on seven new vaccines.
• To assess the perceived priority for introducing new vaccination programs based on physician input.

Main Methods:

• A mail-based anonymous questionnaire was sent to 1182 family physicians and 1852 pediatricians in fall 2009.
• Physicians responded to statements on disease burden, vaccine efficacy, safety, and program feasibility.
• Priority scores (0-100) were calculated to rank the seven potential new vaccination programs.

Main Results:

• The majority of physicians viewed the diseases prevented by new vaccines as significant and considered the vaccines safe and effective.
• High agreement (over 90%) on public and professional acceptance was noted, except for HPV (30%) and rotavirus (29%) vaccines.
• Highest priority scores were for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine (77.4) and hexavalent vaccine (75.6).

Conclusions:

• Physician perspectives are vital for the successful adoption of new immunization programs.
• The measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) and hexavalent vaccines received the highest priority ratings from healthcare professionals.
• Understanding health professional opinions is essential for informed decision-making regarding vaccine introductions.