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Paediatrician beliefs and practices around influenza vaccination
James P Newcombe1,2, Rajneesh Kaur3, Nicholas Wood4
1Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Insights
Pediatricians in Australia have suboptimal knowledge and practices regarding influenza vaccination for high-risk children. Improving vaccine uptake requires better doctor education and integration into the national schedule.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Influenza vaccination rates in high-risk children remain low in Australia and globally.
- Understanding healthcare provider perspectives is crucial for improving pediatric vaccination coverage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess Australian pediatricians' beliefs and practices concerning influenza vaccination in children.
- To identify barriers and potential interventions for enhancing influenza vaccine uptake in pediatric populations.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 101 pediatricians from two tertiary pediatric hospitals in Sydney.
- The survey focused on current practices, perceived importance, and knowledge of influenza vaccination guidelines.
Main Results:
- Influenza vaccination was not prioritized over other vaccines or clinical concerns by most participants.
- Fewer than half of pediatricians strongly agreed on the usefulness of influenza vaccination.
- Knowledge of current influenza vaccination guidelines and recommendations was suboptimal among respondents.
- Key interventions identified to improve coverage include enhanced medical education, improved vaccine accessibility in clinics, and automated reminder systems.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights a need for improved education and resources for pediatricians regarding influenza vaccination.
- Integrating influenza vaccine into the standard Australian immunisation schedule may be necessary to increase coverage in high-risk children.
Aim:
The uptake of influenza vaccination in children with high-risk medical conditions continues to be low in Australia and internationally. We aimed to determine Australian paediatricians' beliefs and practices around the influenza vaccination of children.
Methods:
This was conducted as a cross sectional survey of paediatricians from two tertiary paediatric hospitals in Sydney.
Results:
There were 101 participants. Influenza vaccination was not prioritised compared with other vaccines and clinical issues, with fewer than half of respondents strongly agreeing that influenza vaccination was useful. Paediatricians' knowledge of guidelines and recommendations in this area was suboptimal. Interventions thought most likely to improve vaccine coverage included better education of doctors, greater vaccine availability in outpatient clinics and automated reminder systems.
Conclusion:
The inclusion of influenza vaccine on the standard Australian immunisation schedule may be required to improve vaccine coverage in high-risk children.
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