Research Paper on Immunization: Key to Combatting Life-Threatening Diseases

Introduction

Immunization is one of the most critical health promotion programs in the world, and it involves making people immune to infectious diseases. This is done by giving vaccines to people where these vaccines trigger an individual's immune system, which in turn protects the person against subsequent infection. Immunization is a tool that is used to control and prevent life-threatening diseases, thereby averting deaths. Today, vaccination prevents the occurrence of around three million deaths each year, which makes it one of the most effective healthcare investments (Andre et al., 2019). Vaccinations are especially significant in vulnerable population groups, and infants are among the most vulnerable groups.

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Immunizing infants gives them the best start to their healthy futures by protecting them from severe illnesses and diseases. Additionally, vaccinating children prevents the spread of diseases, especially t other children who are vulnerable because of the diseases an infant is vaccinated against can be passed from one person to another (Edelan & Kudzma, 2017). Infants are immunized against diseases, which include: rubella, measles, polio, tetanus, hepatitis, chickenpox, whooping cough, diphtheria, pneumococcal infections, and rotavirus (Andre et al., 2019). These diseases have the capability of causing adverse health issues, and sometimes they can be fatal. Immunization administration occurs in the scope of three models. These are the protocol, prescription from another provider, and independently without protocol (Edelan & Kudzma, 2017). In the protocol model, pharmacists are only allowed to immunize if they are in collaboration with a local physician or have an established protocol. In a prescription from another provider model, the pharmacists administer vaccines as prescribed by a physician. In an independently without protocol model, vaccines are administered without protocols and physicians' prescriptions.

Development Tasks and Immunization

Children master tasks in every stage of their lives, and mastering these tasks shows that they are developing well. Although a child does not need to master the tasks of one stage before they enter the next stage, doing so makes it easier for them to master the tasks of the next stage. Infants have tasks of exploring their world, learn to trust their environments, establish their bonds with their caregivers, and feel loved and cared for by their caretakers (Edelan & Kudzma, 2017). Consequently, parents are expected to give them care, meet infants' needs, talk to them so that they can develop attention, and provide a safe environment so that they explore their world.

Immunization is essential in preventing children from contracting dangerous diseases. If a child is not immunized, they have an increased chance of contracting infections that can even kill, and those that survive these diseases are weakened and at times, may become permanently disabled. For infants, caretakers are responsible for making their health decisions, and they understand that if they fail to immunize their children, their physical, social, cognitive, and language development will be adversely affected (Humphreys, Zeanah & Scheeringa, 2015). It is for this reason why parents are likely to take immunization with utmost seriousness because they would desire to see their children developing well.

Program with Interventions to Address Infancy Developmental Tasks

The infancy stage of development is amazing, and the child transforms rapidly at their own pace. Nevertheless, there are activities that a parent or a caregiver can do to encourage the growth of their children. For instance, stimulating their brains by ensuring they are in touch with their environment. The table below is a program that shows infancy development tasks with their respective interventions.

Massage

Bonding and body awareness N/A Time the baby when they are in a calm and relaxed state. Slowly and gently massage their bodies in sections.

Follow the leader Memory and imitation N/A One is supposed to gauge how many actions the infant can imitate in a row. For instance, clapping, tapping the table and waving. The caretaker is supposed to it routinely while adding a complex movement as time progresses

Nursing Interventions

Lack of immunization among infants is a great health challenge as it denies these children a healthy life. Nurses have a significant role to play in addressing this health challenge, and they can do so through three nursing interventions, including caregiver support, anxiety reduction, and decision making support.

Caregiver Support

How caregivers feel about immunization determines the degree of motivation to vaccinate. Motivation is a critical factor that creates perceptions among caregivers. Usually, it is how people feel rumors and information sharing that determines their willingness to vaccinate their children (Bowling, 2018). Hesitancy is a prevalent phenomenon that adversely affects motivation, and nurses should take the initiative of giving emotional and education support to caregivers, making them see the essence of vaccinating their children.

Anxiety Reduction

Caregivers are usually sensitive when it comes to their children, yet, these children are expected to be subjected to tens of needle sticks, which are painful, and this creates anxiety. Anxiety is not only experienced in children but also in their parents, who are often distressed, concerned, and overwhelmed when their children are immunized (Bowling, 2018). Such anxiety prompts the caregiver to delay or refuse to take their children for vaccinations and this is the reason why addressing anxiety in infants and caregivers is essential.

Decision Making Support

Caretakers need to be educated so that they make the most informed decisions about the health of their children. Positive immunization care highly depends on how timely they secure immunization for their children, and this relies on good decision making (Bowling, 2018). Nurses play a crucial role in guiding caregivers by assisting them in understanding the importance of following the vaccination routine.

Program Evaluation

Evaluation of the program will take several considerations. It will involve evaluating the process, impact, outcome, and summative evaluation (CDC, 2019). The process evaluation will measure the activities of the program. It will gauge whether the program has reached its intended target, are stakeholders satisfied? Are all interventions implemented, and what changes can be made to these interventions. The impact evaluation will measure how well the objectives of the project have been accomplished, including the desired short term changes. Outcome evaluation will involve evaluating how well a program goal has been achieved. It will also involve how factors outside the program have contributed or hindered change and whether the program has resulted in unintended change. A summative evaluation will involve evaluating the whole project cycle. It will, in turn, help to determine if to continue with the program, how sustainable is the program, and the elements that could have assisted or hindered the program. It will also help to determine recommendations that have evolved from the program.

References

Andre, F., Booy, R., Bock, H., Clemens, J., Datta, S., & Datta, T. et al. (2019). WHO | Vaccination greatly reduces disease, disability, death, and inequity worldwide. Retrieved 9 October 2019, from https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/2/07-040089/en/

Bowling, A. (2018). Immunizations - Nursing Interventions to Enhance Vaccination Rates. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 42, 126-128. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2018.06.009

CDC. (2019). Retrieved 9 October 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/Program/pupestd/Types%20of%20Evaluation.pdf

Edelan, C. & Kudzma, E. (2017). Health promotion throughout the life span (9th Ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Elsevier. ISBN 978-032356t9101

Humphreys, K., Zeanah, C., & Scheeringa, M. (2015). Infant Development: The First 3 Years of Life. Psychiatry, 134-158. doi: 10.1002/9781118753378.ch9