What is it about?
A survey of paediatricians in the North East of England was conducted to determine their knowledge and practice in respect of the CMO’s recommendations. 50 paediatricians working in 10 DGH’s (n=41), 5 Community centres (n=7) or both (n=2) completed self-administered questionnaires. The overall response rate was 67%. 47 paediatricians (94%) claimed to be aware of the CMO’s recommendations for the high-risk children requiring pneumococcal and yearly influenza vaccines.
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Why is it important?
The highest rates of appropriate vaccine recommendations were for children with chronic lung disease (76%), cystic fibrosis (74%), neuromuscular diseases (66%), congenital heart disease (64%), asplenia or severe splenic dysfunction (63%), chronic heart failure (54%), nephrotic syndrome (58%) and chronic renal failure (50%). The lowest rates of children recommended for vaccination included chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis (34%), biliary atresia and chronic hepatitis (33%), influenza vaccines for children previously admitted for asthma (17%), or with a lower respiratory tract disease (15%).
Perspectives
The generally poor rate of correct responses that were in accordance with the CMO’s recommendations reflects a lack of familiarity with the recommended guidelines on the vaccinations of high risk children. It could however be partly explained by the fact that some of the paediatricians do not regularly see some categories of the patients in the community or in the DGH, because the patients are being exclusively followed up by the tertiary hospital paediatricians. It is also possible that some paediatricians are not convinced that either or both vaccines are useful in some categories of high risk children as recommended by the CMO.
Dr Michael O Ogundele
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Postgraduate Medical Centre
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Pneumococcal and influenza vaccines: a survey of knowledge and practice among UK paediatricians, Archives of Disease in Childhood, April 2007, BMJ,
DOI: 10.1136/adc.2007.121822.
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