Doctors "fire" parents from their practice for not vaccinating

[Ozzieshunni]

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10...ml?fb_ref=wsj_share_FB&fb_source=home_oneline

This article is from the USA, by the way.

I actually think this is a good thing. If a child gets an illness that they are normally vaccinated against and comes into the practice to get treated, there could be babies there that haven't been vaccinated that could die from the illness. I think this is a responsible decision by the doctor not to put their other patients at risk. As I've said before, not to vaccinate is irresponsible. If there is a medical reason not to vaccinate, that's ok.

There is nothing in the article that I could see about letting patients go for delaying vaccines (as I plan to do with Alex's MMR).

I know this topic has been debated again and again, but what should doctors do?

 

[sequeena]

I don't know... I vaccinate Thomas and don't want him to catch anything but it's not up to the babies if they're vaccinated or not. If they're being booted out of surgeries then who will see to them when they're ill whether it's something that could have been prevented by vaccinating or not?

 

[Nibblenic]

I suppose you could since its private health insurance compare it to pet insurance in the UK. If you dont vaccinate you dog/cat every year you insurance become invalid and wont pay out.

I dont know enough about the USA health system to know the consoquences from being discharged from a doctors practice

 

[Ozzieshunni]

Basically, you have to find another practice within your health insurance's coverage. For example, Blue Cross has so many providers that take the insurance from that network (i.e. the insurance will pay for medical costs).

 

[smelly07]

hhhhhmmmmmmmmmm im not sure on this one..........

I totally think all children should have their vaccinations 100% and i also dont believe in delaying vaccinations either this has also contributed to the illnesses circulating more as the longer they are unprotected the more chance they could get one of the illnesses and children have and this has helped the illnesses spread.
but
Parents should have the right to decide whether their child is vaccinated without being penalized for their choice but again i see where the medical profession are coming from.

sorry not much help lol x

 

[xemmax]

I think this is different in the US as healthcare is private but if that happened in the UK I would be outraged. I don't think doctors should be able to refuse healthcare due to a person's choice (and it is just that - a choice).

In 1989 my mum was struck off from her doctor's surgery while pregnant because she intended on having a home birth. She had previously hemmorhaged while giving birth to me 3 years earlier and they deemed it too risky and advised her to have a hospital birth. When she refused they struck her off.

I know it's a different situation but for me the principle is the same. People should be treated irrespective of their choices.

 

[JASMAK]

I think with the huge amount of lawsuits in the states, I am not super surprised...they probably have to, or their insurance premiums go up....and they wouldn't be able to afford it. I Canada, where I am from, this would not happen. Health care is not private.

 

[Mindy_mini]

Hmmmm not sure of my thoughts on "sacking" patients for refusal to vaccinate because it's a parents right to refuse and the childs humans right to not be forced to have to vaccination but it amazes me the health insurers dont refuse to pay for treatment for conditions that could be avoided if the appropriate vaccination program was followed.

 

[Dragonfly]

I delay them Alex still hasnt got his mmr and my hv knows I delay them. I hate them but I have nothing against any one that dosnt vaccinate. Though i dont think its ok for docs to not treat un vaxed kids. I Missed all my vaxs when I got older and didnt get jobs over it. Kinda unfair.

 

[louandivy]

I think its extremely unethical.

 

[mum22ttc#3]

Not too sure on my thoughts really, I kind of see both sides.

Although I do believe that parents should have the choice as to whether to vaccinate their children, even though personally, ideally I think it would be better for all to be vaccinated, I also see the side that they could be putting others at risk within the surgery i.e newborns, who ultimately wouldn't have a choice regarding catching maybe life threatening illnesses.

Like another poster said though, if all surgeries start refusing to see these children where are they going to get the care that they need?

 

[Sarahkka]

hey Op - VERY interesting article and discussion! Thanks!

Had to mull this one over a bit. We're really getting into medical ethics here, aren't we?

So I tried to ask myself how I would feel if my GP told me that she wouldn't have me as a patient because we had a pretty major difference of opinions on some fundamentals of health care. It would obviously depend on the situation, but I think that I would want to feel like I was on the same "philosophy" page as my doctor. It is such an important relationship and you (ideally) need to trust and respect each other.
So I understand and respect why the physicians quoted chose to discontinue care. I think they did it very ethically and gave solid, scientifically-backed reasoning as to why they were doing so.
I thought the article suggested some silly and unsupported insinuations as to the reasonings. Doctors don't have time for "savvier" patients who argue with them over treatments? Puh-leese. The anti-vax movement has a very strong history of fear and propaganda and a whole lot of anecdotes with nothing but poorly manipulated "studies/statistics" to back up their claims. I know that is going to inflame a whole lot of people, but seriously, I have a lot sympathy for doctors who are trying to tell someone with limited scientific background that they have been influenced by very emotional and very questionable "scientific" political movements. In a busy family practice, how would you have the time to try to address the scope of misinformation that the internet has made so rampant? Some of the posts I have seen on here from anti-vaxers have left me perplexed as to where to even start addressing the scientific errors, and I teach this stuff!!
So maybe patients like that, who wish to function outside scientifically proven practices, need to experience the fact that they are asking for something that affects other patients negatively and that they need to move to a practitioner who agrees to accept those same risks? And if few such practitioners exist, maybe that ought to provide some pause for thought as to why?

 

[angel2010]

I don't have any input, but wanted to say that when I searched for a pediatrician for Carter I asked the dr what they thought of immunizations and he said "if you are not for immunizations, then you might want to look elsewhere". I guess since I am for immunizations, I liked that he said that.

 

[Lightworker]

I'm not to up to date on the specific scientific reasons of not vaccinating vs vaccinating, but I think that the doctors were reasonable in dismissing parents who don't vaccinate, moreso as it is for the protection of potentially vulnerable patients.

In any case, sure any parent would want to be with a doctor who agrees with their approach to medical issues so it shouldn't be such a loss to the parents, right?

 

[Yammas]

I think that there should have been another way aeound the issue other than to wash their hands of the child. If they are so concerned about vulnerable patients they could haave arranged a home visit or used some other means of isolating the child away from other patients as I think having to take them to hospital everytime they needed medical attention or advice wouldnt be a very smart idea.

 

[Sarahkka]

I think that there should have been another way aeound the issue other than to wash their hands of the child. If they are so concerned about vulnerable patients they could haave arranged a home visit or used some other means of isolating the child away from other patients as I think having to take them to hospital everytime they needed medical attention or advice wouldnt be a very smart idea.

Sorry, do you mean that vulnerable patients (an immuno-compromised or unvaccinated child due to young age, like a baby) should be modifying their access to health care so that unvaccinated families can have continued access? Because if that's what you meant, I find that kind of an astounding suggestion. The unvaccinated family increases risk for everyone else, and you are saying that the rest of the patients and staff at the practise should not only have to accept this increased risk, but go to measures such as home visits to try to keep this increased risk reasonable for vulnerable patients?
Maybe I have misunderstood?

 

[Yammas]

No everyone can still use the practise as normal but when the unvaxed child needs to see a doctor they should be able to as they have a duty of care and barring their access to healthcare for a choice that their parents made on thier behalf with best intentions (not saying its right as i am pro vax) is inhumane.

I was merely suggesting an answer to what pp had said about ways the unvaxed child could still be seen by a doctor.

 

[Lightworker]

Presumably then that the parents would have to pay a premium to accommodate the expenses incurred from special home-visits etc.

 

[Yammas]

Yes I think that would be fair and at least that way the child can still get treatment.

 

[Quackquack99]

I think its unethical, no child should be turned away for a decision they didn't make.