Parents Refusal of Childhood Vaccination

Problem Description

The problem being addressed in this paper is the parents’ refusal of childhood vaccination. It is unfortunate that although within the last few decades the impact of vaccinepreventable diseases has been greatly reduced, a large proportion of mother continues to refuse the vaccination of their children. Issues relating to childhood vaccination have been worsened by the fact that parents are becoming more critical of vaccines. Parents believe that some of the vaccines given to children are unsafe and may lead to unwarranted health outcomes. Such perceptions are, however, inappropriate considering that vaccines are developed through extensive research to maximize their benefits and reduce potential side effects.

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Cultural factors and a lack of knowledge of vaccines are the main contributors to the refusal (Harmsen et al., 2013). It is perplexing to note that economic or racially ethnic factors do not drive the refusal of childhood vaccination. Most childhood vaccination programs are free for all people hence a lack of finances cannot be cited as a reason why parents refuse to have their children vaccinated.

Problem Setting

The refusal by parents to have children vaccinated is a community level problem. Incidences of refusal are common in high-income countries where parents have recognized their rights to the refusal of treatment on behalf of the child (Harmsen et al., 2013). Communityrelated aspects such as culture, social and religious factors greatly influence the mothers’ willingness to have their children vaccinated (Ruijs et al., 2012). Nurses experience challenges when dealing with mothers who refuse the vaccination of their children. Many nurses are left in a dilemma since they understand the benefits of vaccinations, yet they cannot vaccinate the child against the mother’s will.

Impact of the Problem on the Work Environment, the Quality of Care and Patient Outcomes

Vaccination is the most effective life-long intervention against certain diseases that a child can be given. It has been revealed that the lives of over 3 million children are saved every year due to vaccination. Furthermore, the health and the lives of over 9 million adults are saved annually due to vaccination (Daleyab et al., 2017). Young children have a high risk of contracting infectious diseases, which may cause death or long-term health complications. Failure to vaccinate children predisposes them and a large number of people to the risk of infectious diseases (Harmsen et al., 2013).

The Significance of the Problem and its Implications for Nursing

The parents’ refusal to vaccinate children is significant to nursing practice since it generates ethical dilemma at the workplace. Nurses struggle to convince the unwilling mothers concerning the benefits of vaccines (Daleyab et al., 2017). Refusal of vaccination may also lead to an increase in the number of patients suffering from vaccine-preventable diseases later in life the workload for nurses.

Proposed Solution

The most practical solution for the identified problem is an extensive education of mothers concerning the benefits and potential side effects of vaccines. The educational campaign should be focused on enlightening the mothers and increasing awareness on vaccination (Lieu, Zikmund-Fisher, & Chou, 2017). Mothers should be provided with reliable information on vaccines to help them identify myths and inappropriate cultural and religious factors that make them refuse childhood vaccination (Kaufman et al., 2013).

References https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.02.058

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Harmsen, I., Mollema,L., Rutier, R., Paulussen, T., Irene, A., Harmsen, L., de Melker, H, E., & Gerjo, K. (2013). Why parents refuse childhood vaccination: a qualitative study using online focus groups. BMC Public Health, 13, 1183. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-

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Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 5( CD010038). doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD 010038.pub3.

Lieu, T. A. Zikmund-Fisher, B. J., & Chou, C. (2017). Parents’ perspectives on how to improve the childhood vaccination process. Clinical Pediatrics, 56(3), 1-14.