Evaluation of a Vaccine-Communication Tool for Physicians.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a Kaiser Permanente Northern California physician training tool entitled "Effective Communication without Confrontation" aimed at improving communication with vaccine-hesitant parents, building trust, and alleviating physician stress surrounding vaccination visits. STUDY DESIGN: Trainings were held May to July 2015. Pre- and post-training surveys assessed physician comfort and perceived effectiveness in communicating with vaccine-hesitant parents. We measured vaccination coverage at the 2-, 4-, and 6-month well-child visits, and days undervaccinated at 9 months of age. We compared vaccination rates before and after the training. RESULTS: Of 415 physicians who received training, 249 completed post-training surveys. Physicians reported that the training helped them feel "much more or more" comfortable talking with parents who are unsure (72.3%), want to delay (73.9%), or refuse (63.5%) vaccinations and "much more or more" effective at persuading parents who are unsure (67.5%) or want to delay vaccinations (61.4%). They reported feeling "the same or less" effective persuading parents who refuse vaccinations (66.3%). Vaccine coverage remained unchanged and high from before to after the training (95%-96%), as did parent satisfaction with his or her child's provider (4.73/5.00). CONCLUSIONS: The Effective Communication without Confrontation training did not increase vaccine coverage, but did improve physicians' comfort and perceived effectiveness communicating with most vaccine-hesitant parents and may help to ease potentially stressful vaccination visits.

First Trimester Influenza Vaccination and Risks for Major Structural Birth Defects in Offspring.

OBJECTIVE: To examine risks for major structural birth defects in infants after first trimester inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) exposures. STUDY DESIGN: In this observational study, we used electronic health data from 7 Vaccine Safety Datalink sites to examine risks for selected major structural defects in infants after maternal IIV exposure. Vaccine exposures for women with continuous insurance enrollment through pregnancy who delivered singleton live births between 2004 and 2013 were identified from standardized files. Infants with continuous insurance enrollment were followed to 1 year of age. We excluded mother-infant pairs with other exposures that potentially increased their background risk for birth defects. Selected cardiac, orofacial or respiratory, neurologic, ophthalmologic or otologic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and muscular or limb defects were identified from diagnostic codes in infant medical records using validated algorithms. Propensity score adjusted generalized estimating equations were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs). RESULTS: We identified 52 856 infants with maternal first trimester IIV exposure and 373 088 infants whose mothers were unexposed to IIV during first trimester. Prevalence (per 100 live births) for selected major structural birth defects was 1.6 among first trimester IIV exposed versus 1.5 among unexposed mothers. The adjusted PR was 1.02 (95% CI 0.94-1.10). Organ system-specific PRs were similar to the overall PR. CONCLUSION: First trimester maternal IIV exposure was not associated with an increased risk for selected major structural birth defects in this large cohort of singleton live births.

Long-term immune responses to pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in children previously vaccinated with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has reduced incidence of vaccine-serotype pneumococcal diseases. Using a single dose of 13-valent pneumoccal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), we evaluated late immune responses 10 years after vaccination with PCV7 in infancy, compared with a PCV7-naïve cohort. METHODS: In this open-label study, we administered 1 dose of PCV13 to children aged 11-14 years who had previously received PCV7 (PCV7/PCV13) or meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine (MnCC/PCV13) during infancy. We evaluated serotype-specific immunoglobulin G concentrations and opsonophagocytic activity prevaccination and 1 week and 1 month postvaccination. We recorded local reactions and systemic events for 4 days postvaccination and adverse events for 6 months. RESULTS: Seventy-four subjects received PCV13 (PCV7/PCV13, n = 38; MnCC/PCV13, n = 36). Prevaccination with PCV13, >62.9% of subjects had immunoglobulin G concentrations ≥0.35 µg/mL for all serotypes except serotype 4 (28-29%); proportions increased at 1 month postvaccination to 100% for all serotypes except serotypes 3 (PCV7/PCV13, 94.7%; MnCC/PCV13, 97.0%) and 14 (MnCC/PCV13, 97.1%). Immunoglobulin G and opsonophagocytic activity concentrations for the 7 common and 6 additional serotypes were similar in both groups prevaccination and increased in both groups from prevaccination to 1 week and 1 month postvaccination. Local reactions and fever were mild or moderate; no serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Late immune responses after a single dose of PCV13 were similar in children aged 11-14 years regardless of previous vaccination with PCV7 or MnCC. PCV13 was immunogenic, safe and well tolerated.