Immunising Children in Primary Care in the UK - What are the Concerns of Principal Immunisers?

Abstract

Objective To determine the levels of concern about risks associated with childhood immunisations among principal immunisers in general practice. Design Self-administered postal questionnaire survey. Setting South & West Devon Health Authority. Participants Eighty-eight/102 general practices: 78 practice nurses, 7 general practitioners, 3 health visitors. Of these, 73 (83 per cent) were the principal immuniser for the general practice and comprise the study sample. Results A third of the principal immunisers (34.2 per cent) were concerned about at least one of the immunisations given to children. Most of the concern reported focused on the measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations. Issues mentioned in the reasons given for concern included concerns about safety (risks, reactions and side effects), about parents, about adverse media and publicity, about research evidence, doubts about the need for the second MMR and personal experiences. Conclusion The role of principal immunisers is crucial especially when many parents are undecided about immunisation when they attend a clinic. Addressing their concerns may contribute to improving overall confidence in the immunisation programme.