As for the communication issue, pediatricians, public health officials, and other health care professionals “struggle” with how to communicate vaccine-related information “succinctly and in a way that is factual, understandable, and that invites conversation and dialogue,” said Dr. Fuentes-Afflick, who is also professor and vice-chair of pediatrics, and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.
With the recommendations made in this report, “we hope that in the future we will develop better tools and mechanisms to have that open communication around immunization issues,” she added.*
The IOM report was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The IOM consensus studies are conducted by committees carefully composed to ensure the requisite expertise and to avoid conflicts of interest.
*Update: This article was updated 1/18/2013.