Our practice has experienced a marked increase in parents requesting to delay or decline vaccinations. This may be a result of recent apperances by celebrities claiming that vaccines harmed their children in some way or as a result of the tremendous increase in the numbers of vaccines and injections in recent years.
My colleague and I find ourselves spending an inordinate amount of time defending our use of vaccines in each well-child check, as well as during increasing numbers of telephone inquiries. Furthermore, we found ourselves on the defensive side more often than not.
In response to this heightened demand on our time and energy, we have developed a
vaccine policy statement that is posted here on our web site and in every exam room and given at the one month visit. New parents know clearly where we stand in the vaccine "controversy" and our established patient families have expressed their appreciation for confirming choices they made with their children. As always, we welcome your comments and look forward to continuing our care to your children.