title: What do health consumers want to know about childhood vaccination? An evaluation of data from an Australian medicines call centre.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Immunisation is crucial to population health. This study aimed to identify the information needs and concerns of health consumers regarding childhood vaccination.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed 1,342 calls concerning childhood vaccination to an Australian pharmacist-operated medicines call centre (MCC). Data were available from September 2002 until June 2010. We identified key themes and compared these for callers from high and low immunisation coverage areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most calls related to safety concerns (60.4%), with many questions about vaccine constituents (31.6%). In low immunisation areas, a higher level of concern persisted about vaccine preservatives (mercury and thiomersal) despite their removal from vaccines in 2000. Of specific vaccines, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine raised most questions (29.9%). Common motivations to call the MCC were 'inadequate information' (54%), 'second opinion' (21%) 'conflicting information' (9%) and 'worrying symptom' (6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The consistent number of vaccine-related calls, particularly about safety, demonstrates an information gap that can contribute to vaccination hesitancy. Health professionals need to know their local immunisation rate and associated carer concerns, to proactively address these information-related barriers to vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marnix
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mus
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Sanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kreijkamp-Kaspers
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland.|Mater Pharmacy Services, Mater Health Services, Queensland.
authors.forename: Treasure
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deckx
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, The University of Queensland.
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Driel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D000070456:Call Centers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D008297:Male; D008457:Measles / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008458:Measles Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D008458:Measles Vaccine
keywords: childhood vaccination; drug information service; information seeking behaviour; safety