Lessons learned from the development of a new methodology to assess missed opportunities for vaccination in Latin America and the Caribbean

BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2015 Feb 21:15:5. doi: 10.1186/s12914-015-0043-1.

Abstract

The Pan American Health Organization recently developed a practical guide for evaluating missed opportunities for vaccination among children aged <5 years. A missed opportunity occurs when an individual eligible for vaccination has contact with a health facility and does not receive a needed vaccine, despite having no contraindications. In this article, we discuss the strengths and limitations of this new methodology and present lessons learned from recent studies on undervaccination in Latin America. Our findings should be useful to countries embarking on assessing the magnitude and the causes of missed opportunities for vaccination children experience at health facilities.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Caregivers / psychology
  • Caribbean Region
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Guideline Adherence*
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Facilities*
  • Health Personnel / psychology
  • Humans
  • Latin America
  • Vaccination / statistics & numerical data*