Primary care strategies to improve childhood immunisation uptake in developed countries

Childhood vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions available. Within England, vaccination coverage is lowest in deprived, urban areas with mobile populations, such as London. Barriers to immunisation can stem from parental concerns about risks, inadequate knowledge and provision by providers, and generalized system barriers involving the organization of the health system and access to services.

In an article published recently in JRSM Short Reports, Nia Willaims and colleagues from the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London carried out a systematic literature review aimed at providing GPs with up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines on how to improve uptake rates of primary immunisations for children registered under their care.

Forty-six studies were included for analysis, published between 1980 and 2009. A number of interventions were found to increase vaccination rates in children. These included parental reminders; and educational programmes and feedback of data on vaccination rates to providers. Williams and colleagues concluded that General practitioners are uniquely positioned to influence parental decisions on childhood vaccination.

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