Childhood Vaccine Schedule Changes: Public Health Risks Explained
- In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Jeffery Goad, PharmD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy, discusses recent changes made by the US Department...
- Goad emphasizes the critical role pharmacists play in providing evidence-based counseling, countering misinformation, and ensuring families continue to receive recommended vaccinations to protect individual and public health.
- Pharmacy Times: To begin, could you provide a brief clarification of the recent changes to the childhood immunization schedule?
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In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Jeffery Goad, PharmD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Chapman University School of Pharmacy, discusses recent changes made by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the childhood immunization schedule, including the shift of several foundational vaccines into shared clinical decision-making or high-risk categories. Goad explains how these changes may create confusion for families,reduce vaccine uptake,and increase the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. He also raises concerns about the reduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine from a 2-dose to a single-dose series, despite ongoing recommendations from major medical organizations.
Goad emphasizes the critical role pharmacists play in providing evidence-based counseling, countering misinformation, and ensuring families continue to receive recommended vaccinations to protect individual and public health.
Pharmacy Times: To begin, could you provide a brief clarification of the recent changes to the childhood immunization schedule?
Jeffery Goad, PharmD, MPH: Sure. The recent HHS policy changes really fundamentally reorganize the childhood immunization schedule into 3 categories now. First,vaccines that remain universally recommended for all children-this is what we’ve done for
Vaccine Suggestion Changes and Pharmacist Counseling
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Pharmacists will face challenges counseling parents navigating evolving vaccine recommendations,particularly as some historically foundational childhood vaccines transition from routine recommendation to shared clinical decision-making,requiring individualized risk assessment.
Understanding Policy vs. Science
A primary challenge for pharmacists is clarifying to parents that changes in vaccine recommendations do not indicate a shift in the underlying scientific evidence. The move to shared clinical decision-making fundamentally alters the pharmacy practice environment.
According to Ilene Goad, PharmD, changes in recommendations do not mean the science has changed.
Impact on Pharmacy Operations
The shift to shared clinical decision-making creates operational barriers for pharmacies, reducing their ability to proactively reach patients. Pharmacies loose access to population-based tools that streamline vaccination efforts.
Specifically,pharmacies can no longer rely on age prompts,routine reminders,or clear,broad messaging to promote vaccination accessibility and equity. This impacts outreach and advertising effectiveness, perhaps leading to lower vaccination rates. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recognize pharmacists as healthcare providers qualified to engage in shared clinical decision-making for vaccines.
Challenges with Individualized Risk Assessment
Shared clinical decision-making necessitates individualized risk assessment, which presents a significant hurdle for community pharmacies. These pharmacies often lack access to comprehensive patient medical histories, including prenatal records and household exposure data, which are crucial for accurate risk evaluation.
As Goad explains, pharmacists must navigate this process despite limited facts, as shared decision-making assumes individualized risk assessment. This lack of complete data makes it more difficult to determine which patients should receive vaccinations.