Fraser Alice C, Williams Sarah E, Kong Sarah X, Wells Lucy E, Goodall Louise S, Pit Sabrina, Hansen Vibeke, Trent Marianne
School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia.
School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, NSW, Australia; Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; University Centre for Rural Health North Coast, Lismore, NSW, Australia,
Public Health Res Pract. 2016 Apr 15;26(2):2621620. doi: 10.17061/phrp2621620.
The objective of the study was to explore the impact of implementation of the Public Health Amendment (Vaccination of Children Attending Child Care Facilities) Act 2013 on child-care centres in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales (NSW), from the perspective of child-care centre directors. Importance of study: Immunisation is an effective public health intervention, but more than 75 000 Australian children are not fully vaccinated. A recent amendment to the NSW Public Health Act 2010 asks child-care facilities to collect evidence of complete vaccination or approved exemption before allowing enrolment.
Ten child-care centre directors participated in a semiscripted interview. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed.
Common themes included misinterpretation of the amendment before implementation, the importance of adequate notice for implementation, lack of understanding of assessment of compliance, increased administrative requirements, the importance of other public health efforts, and limited change in vaccination rates. Child-care centres differed in their experience of the resources provided by the government, interactions with Medicare, and ease of integration with existing record-keeping methods.
Participants felt that the amendment was successfully implemented. The amendment was felt to have fulfilled its aim of prompting parents who had forgotten to vaccinate, but failed to significantly affect conscientious objectors. Overall, the amendment was perceived to be a positive step in improving vaccination rates, but its impact was largely complementary to other components of the multifaceted vaccination policy.
本研究旨在从儿童保育中心主任的角度，探讨2013年《公共卫生修正案（儿童保育设施儿童疫苗接种）法案》的实施对新南威尔士州（NSW）北部河流地区儿童保育中心的影响。研究的重要性：免疫接种是一种有效的公共卫生干预措施，但超过75000名澳大利亚儿童未完全接种疫苗。2010年新南威尔士州《公共卫生法案》的一项近期修正案要求儿童保育设施在允许儿童入学前收集完全接种疫苗或批准豁免的证据。
十位儿童保育中心主任参与了半结构化访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录和分析。
共同主题包括实施前对修正案的误解、实施前充分通知的重要性、对合规评估的理解不足、行政要求增加、其他公共卫生工作的重要性以及疫苗接种率变化有限。儿童保育中心在政府提供的资源体验、与医疗保险的互动以及与现有记录保存方法的整合难易程度方面存在差异。
参与者认为修正案成功实施。该修正案被认为实现了促使忘记接种疫苗的家长接种疫苗的目标，但未能显著影响出于良心拒接疫苗者。总体而言，该修正案被视为提高疫苗接种率的积极一步，但其影响在很大程度上是对多方面疫苗接种政策其他组成部分起到补充作用。
