Are Pediatricians Dismissing Patients from Their Practices for Vaccine Refusal or Delay?

Although it is not the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), some pediatric practices will not care for patients who are not fully immunized by parental choice, which the AAP considers an acceptable option (Pediatrics 2016 Sep; 138:e20162146). In a 2019 survey, the AAP asked physicians about their individual and practice policies with respect to dismissal of families who refuse vaccines or request that vaccine administration be “spread out.” Results include the following:

• Over half of practices (51%) had a dismissal policy in place for families who refused vaccines in the primary series; 37% of physicians reported doing this often or always.

• Most physicians (89%) reported ever allowing primary series vaccinations to be “…