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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

immunization rates, NICU infants, vaccination rates, neonatal intensive care unit

College

Nursing

Abstract

The goal of this project was to determine the vaccination rates of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of various hospitals throughout the Wasatch Front in Utah. We collected data related to possible reasons why infants may not receive their immunizations during their stay at the facility. Many are uninformed of the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which states that that preterm and low birth weight babies should receive all immunizations at the same chronological age as full term infants. Yet, many pre term infants fail to be immunized. Preterm infants are at an increased risk for infection, because the majority of immunoglobulins transferred from mother to baby are given to the baby during the third trimester of pregnancy. Often, despite this recommendation that the administration of vaccines not be delayed, physicians and parents often delay immunizations, putting these children at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. This study was designed to determine what factors could cause parents and physicians to delay the immunization schedule. This study was also designed to determine the impact that the martial statues of the mother whether or not an infant was immunized.

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