Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Public health fears will not sway parent opinion on vaccines

Kevin Pho, MD
KevinMD
October 21, 2010
59 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Dr. Robert Sears’ The Vaccine Book, is, as Rahul Parikh puts it, “a nightmare for pediatricians like me.”

In a piece from Salon, Dr. Parikh brings his issues to the author.  The controversy of the book is the so-called “alternative vaccine schedule,” which, as vaccine developer Paul Offit puts it,

is “misrepresentation of vaccine science” that “misinforms parents trying to make the right decision for their children” in the Journal of Pediatrics. And yet, as a pediatrician myself, I have seen an increasing number of caring, reasonable parents hold it up like a bible in my practice (and that of my colleagues).

This post, however,  isn’t about the vaccine controversy — I’ll leave you to read Dr. Parikh’s excellent piece for yourself.

What I found interesting was a passage discussing the public health fears stemming from an increasing number of unvaccinated children.  Here’s what Dr. Parikh writes:

When I asked Sears about balancing patients’ needs against those of society at large, he told me he believes vaccine-averse parents usually aren’t persuaded by doctors’ appeals to community health. “Most parents are selfish — not in a negative way, but in a realistic way,” he said. I’m inclined to agree with him: That argument has rarely worked for me in the exam room with a vaccine-ambivalent parent.

That’s a valid point. When it comes to their own children, it’s unlikely that trumpeting public health fears is going to significantly sway parents’ opinion, especially if they come in believing that vaccines are associated with autism.

A parallel situation is with antibiotic overuse. Again, public health arguments mostly fall upon deaf ears in the exam room, as there are many patients who believe that upper respiratory symptoms require an antibiotic.

What’s the answer?  More time to spend with patients, for one.  And second, Dr. Parikh alludes to the fact that most doctors don’t receive adequate training when it comes to vaccines: “If there is one thing Sears gets right, it is the fact that doctors need more education about vaccine science from the get-go.”

Indeed.  Physicians need to be better armed with information to counter the false beliefs many patients have in the exam room.

Kevin Pho is an internal medicine physician and on the Board of Contributors at USA Today.  He is founder and editor of KevinMD.com, also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

Prev

How pharmacists address the healthcare needs of patients

October 21, 2010 Kevin 1
…
Next

How Percy Harvin struggles with chronic migraines

October 21, 2010 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How pharmacists address the healthcare needs of patients
Next Post >
How Percy Harvin struggles with chronic migraines

More by Kevin Pho, MD

  • Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Is FDA-approved Veozah a game-changer in menopause hot flash treatment?

    Kevin Pho, MD

More in KevinMD

  • Surgeon General’s warning: the dark side of social media on children’s mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Unmasking wage disparity in health care: the truth behind the Elmhurst Hospital physician strike

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Is FDA-approved Veozah a game-changer in menopause hot flash treatment?

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Remembering Heather Armstrong: the tragic loss of the “Queen of Mommy Bloggers” sparks a global conversation on mental health

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Celebrating 2 million downloads of The Podcast by KevinMD!

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Tragedy strikes Monday Night Football as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest. Is commotio cordis to blame?

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Second chances and simple beauty in thrift stores

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 12 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • Primary Care Visits With NPs, PAs on the Rise; C. Diff in the Intensive Care Unit
  • Are Obesity Drugs for Adolescents Cost-Effective?
  • Lab Tests That Escape FDA Oversight May Come Under Agency Review
  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Low Tidal Volume Compliance Still Lacking in Mechanical Ventilation

Meeting Coverage

  • Fezolinetant Benefits Women Not Suited for Hormone Therapy
  • Plant-Based Estrogen Improves Lipids in Postmenopausal Women
  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • COVID-19 unleashed an ongoing crisis of delirium in hospitals

      Christina Reppas-Rindlisbacher, MD, Nathan Stall, MD, and Paula Rochon, MD | Conditions
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Second chances and simple beauty in thrift stores

      Debbie Moore-Black, RN | Conditions
    • How to facilitate caregiver learning and support to improve clinical care outcomes

      Kerri Milyko, PhD | Tech
    • Air quality alert: Reducing our carbon footprint in health care

      Shreya Aggarwal, MD | Conditions
    • Exploring HIV care and advocacy [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • A teenager’s perspective: the pressing need for mental health days in schools

      Ruhi Saldanha | Conditions
    • Challenging the diagnosis: dehydration or bias?

      Sydney Lou Bonnick, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Public health fears will not sway parent opinion on vaccines
12 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...