Missed Opportunities: A National Survey of Obstetricians About Attitudes on Maternal and Infant Immunization

• Published in: Maternal and child health journal 2012-12, Vol.16 (9), p.1743-1747
• Main Authors: Link-Gelles, Ruth, Chamberlain, Allison T., Schulkin, Jay, Ault, Kevin, Whitney, Ellen, Seib, Katherine, Omer, Saad B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Attitude of Health Personnel; Attitudes; Brief Report; Care and treatment; Child; Children & youth; Childrens health; Data Collection; Disease Outbreaks; Education; Epidemics; Female; Gynecology; Health Care Surveys; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Immunization; Immunization - utilization; Immunization Schedule; Infant; Infants; Influenza; Influenza Vaccines - administration & dosage; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Male; Maternal and Child Health; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mothers; Obstetricians; Obstetrics - statistics & numerical data; Pandemics; Patient Education as Topic; Patients; Pediatrics; Physicians; Polls & surveys; Population Economics; Practice Patterns, Physicians; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - prevention & control; Pregnant women; Prenatal care; Prenatal Care - methods; Primary care; Public Health; Public opinion; Sociology; Surveys; United States - epidemiology; Vaccination; Vaccines; Womens health
• ISSN: 1092-7875; 1573-6628
• DOI: 10.1007/s10995-011-0936-0

The recent reoccurrence of several vaccine-preventable diseases demonstrates the need for new techniques to promote childhood vaccination. Many mothers make decisions regarding vaccination of their children during pregnancy. As a result, obstetricians have a unique opportunity to influence maternal decisions on this crucial component of child health. Our objective was to understand OB/GYNs’ attitudes, beliefs, and current practices toward providing vaccinations to pregnant patients and providing information about routine childhood immunizations during standard prenatal care. We surveyed OB/GYNs in the United States about their vaccination practices and perceptions during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak. Most (84%) respondents indicated their practice would be administering H1N1 vaccines to pregnant patients. While a majority (98%) of responding providers felt childhood vaccination is important, relatively few (47%) felt that they could influence mothers’ vaccination choices for their children. Discussion of routine childhood immunization between obstetricians and their patients is an area for future improvements in childhood vaccination.