Experts: Now is the time to be the biggest child health care advocate

As the landscape of pediatric health care continues to evolve, medical professionals face growing challenges in ensuring that children receive the best possible care. From the spread of misinformation to shifting public perceptions of science, health care providers must navigate a complex environment while remaining steadfast in their commitment to evidence-based medicine.

In this discussion, experts, including those who represent positions on the Contemporary Pediatrics' editorial advisory board, weigh in on the importance of scientific integrity, proactive advocacy, and the crucial role of vaccinations in pediatric health. Their insights offer a perspective on the responsibilities of medical professionals in fostering informed decision-making and maintaining public trust in health care.

Donna Hallas, PhD, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, PMHS, FAANP, FAAN, clinical professor and program director of Pediatrics NP at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing in New York, New York, and editorial advisory board member of Contemporary Pediatrics, emphasized the importance of science-based decision-making in pediatric care, particularly as misinformation continues to spread.

“There will be big changes going forward and based on individuals' viewpoints, not necessarily based on science. And we have grown up with science,” Hallas said. “We as practitioners, providers, anyone in the health care field, we study science heavily in the first 2 years of our education, and we see the sense of it.”

Hallas highlighted the necessity of engaging with parents in a non-accusatory manner to ensure they have accurate information when making health care decisions for their children.

“It is the parents' decision, but we want them to have the right information so that they really have to think about what are the changes that may be coming,” she explained.

Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, editor in chief of Contemporary Pediatrics, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, infectious diseases attending at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, stressed the importance of proactive advocacy in pediatric health care.

“This is a time to be the strongest advocate possible, not only for ourselves but also for our fellow citizens and for our patients,” Tan stated. “Basically, we have to take a proactive approach to things and not wait for something to happen and then try and resolve it.”

With increasing challenges in public health and vaccination uptake, Tan underscored the responsibility of health care professionals in safeguarding children against preventable diseases.

Robert Frenck, MD, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases and director of Vaccine Research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, reinforced the vital role of vaccinations in maintaining public health.

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“Vaccines have been so effective, they’ve been so good, that parents don’t know what the diseases look like. That’s what we want. We want parents to not know what those vaccine-preventable diseases look like, because they can look bad,” Frenck said.

He further elaborated on the importance of consistent messaging from health care providers.

“We have to stay convicted to say that vaccines are important, that they're a major part of our health care, and that there may be some pushback, but we can't bend on our core principles,” he emphasized.

As misinformation and vaccine hesitancy continue to pose challenges, pediatric health care professionals remain committed to evidence-based medicine, parental education, and public health advocacy to protect children from preventable illnesses.