What is it about?
We aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of paediatricians in the Trent region of England about the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) recommendations for the pneumococcal vaccines (PV) to high-risk children before the introduction of the vaccine into the routine universal immunisation programme in Sept 2006.
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Why is it important?
89% of the paediatricians were aware of the CMO's recommendations of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines to high risk children. The most correctly identified high risk groups for PV were children with asplenia / splenic dysfunction (71%), chronic lung disease (69%), previous invasive pneumococcal disease (65%), congenital heart disease (63%), neuromuscular diseases (59%), nephrotic syndrome (57%), cystic fibrosis (54%) and chronic heart failure (54%).
Perspectives
Most paediatricians were aware of the CMO's recommendations on pneumococcal vaccines for high-risk children. This knowledge however was poorly translated into correct advice given to patients. The introduction of PV into the universal immunisation schedule would enable all the high-risk children to be optimally protected and not subjected to the unreliable knowledge of their busy paediatricians and ”postcode lottery” effect.
Dr Michael O Ogundele
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Postgraduate Medical Centre
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: 1456 A Survey of Paediatricians Practices and Knowledge About Pneumococcal Vaccines in High Risk Children Before the Era of Universal Immunisation, Pediatric Research, November 2010, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1203/00006450-201011001-01456.
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