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Emergency Departments Important Line of Defense in Immunizing Hard-to-Reach Children |
SourceAmerican College of Emergency Physiciansvia PR NEWSWIRE ForumsHealth, Safety, Nutrition and KidsRelated ArticlesChild Health Guide: ImmunizationsInformation and news releases furnished by the members of PR Newswire, who are responsible for their fact and content. |
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28,1996-- Despite nationwide efforts, a large number of young children in the United States still lack most of their necessary immunizations against basic childhood diseases. Emergency departments and their personnel can be effective in helping immunize these children who, for many reasons, fall through the cracks in the health care system. Many children brought to emergency departments for basic primary care are members of population groups that generally are difficult to reach -- the urban poor as well as certain racial and ethnic minorities. "Emergency departments serve as the safety net for all patients. It's important that they should participate in making sure that all children, but particularly those children most at risk, become immunized," says Marienne Gausche, MD, one of the study's authors. The authors readily agree that children should be immunized and records kept by one primary care provider, whenever possible. "We recommend that emergency departments try to integrate care and establish better communications with primary care physicians. Telephones and fax machines can be used to exchange information on a child's immunization status," notes Dr. Gausche. But there are a number of barriers to this, including cost, parental support, and access. The Centers for Disease Control has reported that even when vaccines are provided free of charge, the vaccination rate is only 70%. While emergency departments face a number of problems in setting up immunization programs, the authors believe that they can provide a vital service to today's children by referring the children to appropriate providers or immunizing the children in the emergency department if community services are not available. Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a national medical specialty society representing nearly 19,000 physicians who specialize in emergency medicine. The College is committed to improving the quality of emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians CONTACT: Jane Howell of the American College of Emergency Physicians, 800-320-0610, ext. 3008, or email, jhowell@acep.org Other releases dated 9/3/96 from American College of Emergency Physicians
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