If you
choose to delay, skip, or reject all or some vaccines entirely, there can be
risks. With this decision comes an important responsibility to protect your
child’s life, or the life others in your family, community, or other countries
you visit. Within
each of the categories described above parents present a spectrum of compliance
with vaccination, including delaying vaccinations, only refusing certain ones,
or refusing immunizations completely. Religious reasons tend to account for most
total vaccine refusal, while parents with personal beliefs against immunization
tend to be more willing to compromise and at least partially vaccinate their
children. Parents are concerned with doing the best for their children, and
hearing reports of potential safety issues or that childhood diseases are not a
large threat can hinder them from vaccinating their children.
Another
common reason that parents give for refusing or delaying vaccinating their
children is personal or philosophical reasons. Although only a handful of
states allow exemptions for this cause, it must be carefully studied, as it may
present opportunities for practitioners to enlighten parents regarding the
urgency of protecting the children through preventive measures. Though it seems
contrary to human intuition, there is a group of people who see some benefit in
having their children contract certain preventable diseases. Some parents
believe that natural immunity is better for their children than is immunity
acquired through vaccinations. Others express the belief that if their child
contracts a preventable disease, it will be beneficial for the child in the
long term, as it will help make the child's immune system stronger as he grows
into adulthood. Some parents believe that the diseases for which we vaccinate
are not very prevalent, so their children are at minimal risk of contracting
these diseases. For this reason, they also believe that the possible negative
side effects of vaccine administration outweigh the benefits of the vaccines.
Many parents do not see the preventable diseases as serious or life-threatening
and would prefer to not put extra chemicals into their children's bodies. Other
parents think if their children have healthy diets and lifestyles, they are at
a decreased risk of contracting preventable childhood diseases. They also are
under the assumption that if they were to contract one of the diseases that it
would be easily treatable.
A
third, and potentially the greatest, reason parents express for refusing
vaccinations for their children are concerns about the safety of vaccines. Most
of these concerns are based on information these parents have discovered in the
media or received from acquaintances. Regardless of whether the stories stem
from television, the Internet, radio, or from family and friends, parents are
constantly bombarded with other peoples' opinions about vaccinations. All of
this information can be overwhelming for some parents to sift through, making
it difficult for them to make their own well-informed decision. Many of the
reports and opinions that bombard parents and cause uncertainty are targeted at
the safety of vaccines. They raise doubts about both short-term adverse
reactions and the possibility of long-lasting negative effects. It is these
concerns about safety that can cause parents to completely refuse vaccines.
The
fourth common thread is that parents want more information regarding
vaccinations. They want to be able to make informed decisions about their
child's healthcare by knowing both the benefits and risks associated with each
vaccine. In a study conducted by Gust et al, approximately one-third of parents
indicated that they did not have enough access to sufficient information, and most
of those parents did not think their child's provider was easy to talk to. Many
parents desire to have more detailed information regarding the side effects and
benefits associated with vaccines expressed in a factual way that does not
appear to be trying to sway them one way or the other regarding vaccinating their
child.
A
vital role pharmacists and other healthcare providers can play would involve
the provision of unbiased, information relating to vaccines as well as the
discussion of these materials with the parents. There are a few resources
online, including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and American
Academy of Paediatrics Web sites, as well as print resources that can be
provided to parents. Parents want to be able to have open conversations with
their child's healthcare provider in which they do not feel judged or attacked.
Parents would like to have the freedom to be able to ask questions without
judgment. Physicians are one of the most important sources of information for
parents who are making decisions about their children's healthcare. In a study
conducted by Kennedy noted that 81.7% of parents said their child's healthcare
provider was one of the most important sources of information. When parents do
not get the information, they want from their providers they seek information
from other sources that can potentially mislead and misinform them, causing
them to make poor choices for their children.
Inconclusion,
parents and people must take vaccines because it can make the body strong.
If pharmacists and other healthcare providers can
understand the main concerns parents have about vaccinating their children,
they can be better prepared to have informative conversations about
immunizations. It is important for practitioners to have open and frank
conversations with their patients and their families so that the families will
understand the benefits of vaccination without feeling attacked or judged for
having questions about their child's healthcare. All
healthcare workers should try to stay up to date on the recommended vaccines
and to understand why those immunizations are recommended. This information
will allow patients to have face-to-face access to reliable information that
can help them to make the best decisions for their families. Additional
research aimed at evaluating how practitioners can better provide information
to parents to help them see the importance and benefits of vaccinations needs
to be conducted.
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