Tracy Cheffins MBBS, MPH, FAFPHM, FRACGP, is Medical Coordinator, North Queensland Practice Based Research Network, School of Medicine
and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland
Margaret Spillman BSc(Hons), is a research
worker, North Queensland Practice Based Research
Network, School of Medicine and Dentistry, James
Cook University, Townsville, Queensland.
Sarah Larkins MBBS, BMedSc, MPH&TM, PhD,
FRACGP, FARGP, is Associate Professor, General
Practice and Rural Medicine, Health of Underserved
Populations Research Group, School of Medicine
and Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville,
Queensland
Clare Heal MBChB, DRANZCOG, DipGUMed,
FRACGP, MPH&TM, PhD, is Associate Professor,
General Practice and Rural Medicine, School of
Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University,
Mackay, Queensland.
Background
Parents can be the source of vaccine preventable diseases that their children contract. The vaccination status of parents may not be readily available, and uptake rates are affected by factors such as complexity of vaccination schedules, personal perception of risks, and physician recommendation.
Methods
Parents at eight general practices in North Queensland had immunisation histories recorded and vaccine recommendations made when they brought in their infants for vaccination. They were followed up by practice nurses after 2 months. This article describes parental immunisation status at eight general practices and examines whether parents in these clinics acted on recommendations for vaccination.
Results
Vaccination was recommended for 66.1% of parents. Of these parents,
53% complied, resulting in improved up-to-date vaccination status from
33.9–68.9% (p<0.0001).
Discussion
Taking an immunisation history from parents and recommending specific vaccinations to them is likely to be a worthwhile intervention to add to general practice consultations for childhood vaccinations. Trialling this intervention in a broader cross section of general practices would be a useful next step.
While 80% of notified pertussis infections in Australia occur in adults, 80% of deaths from pertussis occur in infants aged 2 months or younger.1,2 It is estimated that parents are the source of their infant’s infection in 15–55% of cases.3–5 The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends vaccination of all adults that reside with infants6 (although recent modelling suggests this might only be of modest benefit7).
Download the PDF for the full article.
Correspondence afp@racgp.org.au
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