Parents' worry about kid vaccines grows

DENVER, April 19 (UPI) -- A significant amount of U.S. primary care physicians' time during well child visits is spent discussing child vaccine safety with parents, researchers say.

Dr. Allison Kempe, professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who is director of the Children's Outcomes Research Program at The Children's Hospital, reports a national survey indicates a majority of physicians think parents' level of concern about vaccines has either greatly or moderately increased in the last five years.

The study, published online ahead of print in the May issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, finds in a typical month, 79 percent of physicians report at least one vaccine refusal; 8 percent report refusals for more than 10 percent of children; and 89 percent report at least one request to spread out vaccines.

The study also indicates:

-- 40 percent of physicians always or often require parents to sign a form if they refuse a vaccination. Most physicians would agree to spread out vaccines in the primary series at least sometimes.

-- Approximately 10 percent of physicians would often or always dismiss families from their practice if they refuse vaccines in the primary series and another 5 percent would sometimes do.

-- About one-third of physicians say the vaccine discussions were negatively affecting their job satisfaction.