A Look at the Pediatrician as Parent: Experiences with the Introduction of Varicella Vaccine

Abstract

Many physicians voiced reservations about routine use of the varicella vaccine for healthy children after its licensing in 1995. Anecdotal evidence suggested that some pediatricians who were parents themselves were electing not to vaccinate their own children against chickenpox. Little has been written about pediatrician-parents' behaviors in caring for their own children, and how these practices may differ from the behavior that these same pediatricians apply in practice. Pediatricians' tacit attitudes toward medical interventions might be better understood from their behaviors as parents than from their clinical practices, which may be influenced by a sense of responsibility to follow guidelines of professional organizations. Varicella vaccination practices were examined to determine whether pediatricians' behaviors in parenting their own children differed from their recommendations for their patients. A mail survey was sent to 1,762 New York State pediatricians selected randomly from the membership directory of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The response rate was 43% (764/1,762); 63% of responding pediatricians were parents. Eighty-five percent of pediatricians recommended varicella vaccine routinely in practice. Of the pediatricians' own eligible children, 88% (256/291) had been vaccinated against chickenpox. We found a high overall rate of compliance with recommendations for routine use of varicella vaccine. Pediatricians who were parents were just as likely as nonparent pediatricians to recommend the vaccine routinely for their patients. Importantly, pediatrician-parents demonstrated no "double standard"; at the time of the study, 88% of pediatricians' own eligible children had been vaccinated against varicella.

Vaccination practices among physicians and their children

“…Until now few studies have examined how pediatricians in the US vaccinate their own children [6,7]. The results of this study bridge this gap by confirming that a high percentage, 94% of respondents, vaccinated their own children according to ACIP recommendations through 2009 and will likely continue to do so in the future.…”

“…Little is documented, however, on how pediatricians vaccinate their children overall [6]. One study in 2005 examined how 93% of Swiss physicians followed immunization recommendations in that country, but no duplicate study has been performed in the United States to date [7].…”

Acceptability of live attenuated influenza vaccine by vaccine providers in Quebec, Canada

“…Health professionals' knowledge and attitudes about vaccines have previously been shown to be an important determinant of their own vaccine uptake, their intention to recommend the vaccine to their patients and the vaccine uptake of their patients. 8,[21][22][23][24][25] To conclude, results of this study indicate an overall high acceptability of seasonal influenza vaccination among Quebec vaccine providers. Despite the fact that vaccine providers held positive attitudes toward LAIV, the low uptake for LAIV observed in Quebec despite free vaccines and preferential recommendation to use LAIV over TIV warrants further studies.…”

Vaccine hesitancy

“…71 However, more research is needed to assess whether individuals who already professionals' knowledge and attitudes about vaccines have previously been shown to be an important determinant of their own vaccine uptake, their intention to recommend the vaccine to their patients and the vaccine uptake of their patients. [92][93][94][95][96][97] Findings of a review on determinants of nurses' practices regarding influenza vaccination indicate a relationship between knowledge, attitudes and vaccination practices. In the 12 research studies included in this review, higher knowledge and positive attitudes toward influenza vaccination were positively associated with vaccination coverage among nurses and there was also an association between nurses' vaccination status and their reported promotion of vaccination to their patients.…”