Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare providers regarding vaccinating children with cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Autor: Homsi MR; Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA. Electronic address: maysam.homsi@stjude.org., Davey-Rothwell MA; Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA., Alonge O; Department of Health Policy and Organization, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA., Caniza MA; Department of Global Pediatric Medicine, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA., Underwood C; Department of Health, Behavior and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Vaccine [Vaccine] 2024 Dec 10; Vol. 45, pp. 126578. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 10.
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126578
Abstrakt: Background: Vaccinations are a critical component of pediatric care, protecting children, including those with cancer, from infectious complications - and significantly improving patient outcomes and survival. However, the practice and perception of vaccinating children with cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean has not been well described.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of healthcare providers involved in caring for children with cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean to establish their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding vaccinating this special population. The electronic, self-administered survey comprised primarily close-ended questions, such as multiple-choice, Likert scale, and true/false questions, with a few open-ended questions to enable respondents to provide information not otherwise captured.
Findings: Of 384 responses received (an 11.9 % response rate), we included 378 for analysis. These respondents represented 20 countries and were, on average, aged 44.3 years with just over 14 years of practice after completing their highest level of training. Of the 378 respondents analyzed, 321 (84.9 %) recommend vaccines to their pediatric patients with cancer, with 247 (65.3 %) referring to a vaccination guideline or clinical decision tool to help plan such vaccinations and 122 (49.6 %) referring to more than one guide.
Interpretation: Our findings show general agreement with and support for vaccinating children with cancer, especially against influenza. Respondents reported high levels of knowledge, mostly positive attitudes, and support for recommending vaccines to patients. However, their vaccine recommendations were inconsistent. It is important to explore influential contextual factors at the institutional and governmental levels to identify strategies to increase vaccination coverage of children with cancer in the region.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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