Question Of The Day: The Nursing Process

Q. A parent brings a 5-year-old child to a vaccination clinic to prepare for school entry. The nurse notes that the child has not had any vaccinations since 4 months of age. To determine the current evidence for best practices for scheduling missed vaccinations the nurse should:

A. Ask the primary care provider.
B. Check the website at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
C. Read the vaccine manufacturer's insert.
D. Contact the pharmacist.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: The CDC is the federal body that is ultimately responsible for vaccination recommendations for adults and children. A division of the CDC, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, reviews vaccination evidence and updates recommendation on a yearly basis. The CDC publishes current vaccination catch-up schedules that are readily available on their website. The lack of vaccinations is a strong indicator that the child probably does not have a primary care provider. If consulted, the pharmacist would most likely have to review the CDC guidelines that are equally available to the nurse. Reading the manufacturer's inserts for multiple vaccines would be time consuming and synthesis of the information could possibly lead to errors.