ATLANTA — During vaccine shortages, confusions may arise due to frequent changes in vaccine type and dosing schedules.

“At the physician level, these are significant changes. These have a real impact on your day-to-day work in practice,” said Gregory S. Wallace, MD, chief of the vaccine supply and assurance branch, immunization services division at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

Researchers gathered preliminary data from a national survey of attitudes and practices among a random sample of AAP and AAFP physicians concerning the shortages. The survey involved 373 pediatricians and family medicine physicians in a sentinel physician network, developed as part of the Vaccine Policy Collaborative Initiative.

“Initially, when we supplied these interim recommendations, we thought we were doing a pretty good job, until we started getting some feedback about providers who were continuing to give the 12- to 15-month dose to healthy individuals, as well as some who didn’t have enough vaccine to reach the full recommendation for healthy children aged 2, 4, and 6 months old,” Wallace said at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting in June.

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