Survey: One in seven parents do not discuss COVID-19 vaccines with kids’ PCPs
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About 15% of parents have not discussed any vaccines with their child’s primary care provider during the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent national survey found.
“With a new vaccine like COVID, we would expect parents to have a lot of questions and concerns, and we would expect parents to turn to that trusted primary care provider who has guided them through other vaccine decisions for their child,” Sarah Clark, MPH, co-director of C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at University of Michigan Health, said in a press release. “The lower rates of discussions for the COVID vaccine may suggest a downturn in the role of the primary care provider as the go-to source on this topic.”
The survey poll consisted of 1,483 respondents with at least one child aged 6 to 18 years.
Clark and colleagues found that while 80% of respondents have talked to primary care providers about vaccines required for school, only 68% and 57% discussed influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, respectively.
Additionally, the survey showed that 14% of parents discussed COVID-19 vaccines with other health care professionals and 3% delayed or skipped a health care visit to avoid talking about vaccines with their child’s provider.
The researchers suggested that some parents may feel “that their child’s regular doctor will be insulted or irritated if they ask questions or express concerns about vaccinating their child,” but the survey showed that those who did talk to primary care providers reported positive experiences, with 70% saying the information they learned helped them when making a decision on vaccination. In addition, 82% felt that primary care providers were open to their questions or concerns about COVID-19 vaccination.
A total of 6% of respondents reported that their child did not have any vaccines, and 43% of those participants did not have any vaccine talks with primary care providers in the last 2 years.
Clark and colleagues said they were not surprised to see similar rates of discussion about the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines “as they share the common feature of not being consistently available in child health practices.”
“To improve the vaccination process for children and parents, having all vaccines onsite is an important first step, along with having providers with the time and expertise to talk with parents about the specific risks and benefits of each vaccine,” they wrote.
To learn more about how to navigate conversations with patients and parents who may be hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination, visit Healio’s Building Confidence: A COVID-19 Vaccine Discussion Guide.
References:
- Disruption of parent-provider discussions about vaccines. https://mottpoll.org/reports/disruption-parent-provider-discussions-about-vaccines. Published Nov. 21, 2022. Accessed Nov. 23, 2022.
- Mott Poll: 1 in 7 parents haven’t discussed vaccines with their child’s primary care provider during pandemic period. https://chear.org/news-publications/2022-11-21/mott-poll-vaccines. Published Nov. 21, 2022. Accessed Nov. 22, 2022.
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Disruption of parent-provider discussions about vaccines. https://mottpoll.org/reports/disruption-parent-provider-discussions-about-vaccines. Published Nov. 21, 2022. Accessed Nov. 23, 2022.
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