If the majority of general practitioners are in favor of vaccination, 10% of them say they have certain reservations, according to a survey by the French Society of General Medicine (SFMG) unveiled by the daily Le Parisien.
The survey of 1,069 professionals reveals that while the majority (90%) of general practitioners say they are convinced of the benefits of vaccination, one in ten says they issue precautions for certain types of vaccine.
General practitioners have the same concerns as patients and wonder about the presence of adjuvants, the safety and usefulness of the drug. HPV vaccine against papillomavirus, as well as on combination vaccines.
This survey revealed that 24% of health professionals say they have an unfavorable opinion on the presence of adjuvants (mainly aluminum salts) in vaccines. If they are a majority (95%) to adhere to the one against tetanus, only 1 general practitioner in 3 understands the value of the HPV vaccine, against papillomaviruses, to protect against cervical cancers.
In reaction to a refusal to be vaccinated, a quarter of doctors admit not to launch into an argument. Half of them don’t insist when it comes to the HPV vaccine
“When the doctor is in a defensive situation and he is forced to negotiate, he knows that it will take time and complicate the organization of his day”, explains Dr Luc Martinez, vice-president of the SFMG and scientific director of the study, cited by Le Monde. Doctors have not been prepared for this type of situation, some find themselves destabilized. “
This survey also tells us that the information and positions conveyed by the media and social networks are for a third of doctors (33%) unfavorable to vaccination. This percentage increases to 56% when it comes to the papillomavirus.
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