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Physician preferences for attributes of pediatric combination vaccines in the United States
Salome Samant1, Tanaz Petigara1, Jyoti Aggarwal2
1Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA.
Insights
Pediatricians prefer combination vaccines that reduce the number of injections, improve timeliness and completion rates, and come as pre-filled syringes. Reducing injections per visit is the most crucial factor for these important pediatric vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Vaccinology
- Pediatric Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Pediatric combination vaccines are essential for infant immunization schedules.
- Understanding physician preferences is key to optimizing vaccine uptake and adherence.
- Current vaccine attributes may influence physician choice and administration practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine US physicians' preferences for key attributes of pediatric combination vaccines.
- To identify which vaccine characteristics most influence physician choice in routine infant immunization.
Main Methods:
- Online survey with 400 US pediatricians and family physicians.
- Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) evaluating vaccine presentation, number of injections, completion rates, timeliness, and years of availability.
- Random parameters logit model used to estimate odds ratios and relative attribute importance.
Main Results:
- Physicians strongly preferred fewer injections per visit, higher completion/timeliness rates, pre-filled syringes, and vaccines with >1 year of availability.
- Reducing the number of injections from four to three significantly increased preference.
- Number of injections was the most important attribute (38% relative importance), followed by timeliness and completion rates.
Conclusions:
- US physicians prioritize pediatric combination vaccines that minimize injections per visit and enhance adherence.
- Vaccine presentation (pre-filled syringe) and established availability also play significant roles in physician preference.
- Optimizing these attributes can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of pediatric vaccination programs.
Objective:
To understand physician preferences for various attributes of pediatric combination vaccines.
Methods:
An online survey was completed by 400 US physicians (pediatricians and family physicians) who routinely administer vaccines to infants aged 1-12 months in outpatient settings. Respondents completed a discrete choice experiment (DCE) by selecting their preferred options from different hypothetical vaccine profiles with systematic variation in the levels of five attributes: vaccine presentation, number of injections administered at a single visit, completion rates, timeliness rates (within 30 days of recommended age), and years of availability for routine use, assuming similar cost, safety, and efficacy. Odds ratios and relative attribute importance scores were estimated using a random parameters logit model.
Results:
Physicians (mean age 50.4 years, 52.5% women) preferred combination vaccines that reduced the number of injections administered at a single visit, facilitated higher completion and timeliness rates for the primary DTaP series, were available as a pre-filled syringe rather than a vial needing reconstitution and had been available for routine use for more than 1 year. All odds ratios were statistically significant. Physicians were twice as likely to prefer administering three injections in a single visit instead of four. The most important attribute was the number of injections administered at a single visit (relative importance 38%), followed by timeliness, completion rates, and vaccine presentation; years a vaccine has been available was the least important attribute.
Conclusion:
US physicians prefer pediatric combination vaccines that enable fewer injections to be administered at a single visit, facilitate higher completion and timeliness rates, are offered as a pre-filled syringe, and have been available for routine use for more than 1 year. The most important attribute of pediatric combination vaccines was a reduction in the number of injections administered at a single visit.
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