Private Pediatric Clinic Characteristics Associated with Influenza Immunization Efforts in the State of Georgia: A Pilot Evaluation

Abstract

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently recommended that all children 6 months to 18 years be vaccinated annually against influenza. Because pediatricians will be critical for implementing this recommendation, we assessed the characteristics of immunization providers associated with the greatest efforts to vaccinate children against influenza. Using a cross-sectional survey of 35 private pediatric clinics in Georgia, we found that adding extra hours for immunization during the influenza vaccination season and having a policy of allowing six or more vaccines to be delivered at one appointment were characteristics associated with a greater intent to vaccinate children in the 2004-2005 influenza vaccination season. Most respondents indicated that for their clinic to implement a universal childhood vaccination policy it would be important to have a formal recommendation from the ACIP and American Academy of Pediatrics, and to be assured that they could receive credits or refunds for unused vaccine.

The many faces of translational research: a tale of two studies

“…Pilot interventions including both women and men led to NIMH- and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)-supported larger scale studies in Zambia and USA with couples [8–11, 13–16, 20, 21]. The findings from these couple studies confirmed the desirability of working with both partners concurrently, albeit separately, in gender concordant groups, and a pilot translation to a community health center was successfully conducted [12]. A funded application to NICHD to translate the intervention into the community through six CHCs in Zambia led to extensive groundwork to optimize the introduction and uptake of the program, including criteria for the selection of CHCs, clinic staff sensitization and “buy in,” and support from the Ministerial and Provincial Health Department leadership to the local community advisory boards (CABs) at each community health center.…”