"The report indicates that 10% of nonpediatricians would not follow
official immunization recommendations for their children, compared with 5%
of pediatricians. According to the study authors, these findings suggest
that many physicians are misinformed about the benefits and risks of
vaccination and are "unlikely to answer parental concerns adequately.""

I'd say the opposite - I'd say they are VERY AWARE of the risks of
vaccinations and may be more likely to answer parental concerns
Sheri

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/516345

Some MDs Decline Certain Vaccinations for Their Own Children
 
  
     


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 09 - Nonpediatric physicians in Switzerland
often decline having their own children immunized against measles, mumps,
hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b, according to a report in
the November issue of Pediatrics. In addition, they may postpone DTP or MMR
vaccination.

The report indicates that 10% of nonpediatricians would not follow official
immunization recommendations for their children, compared with 5% of
pediatricians. According to the study authors, these findings suggest that
many physicians are misinformed about the benefits and risks of vaccination
and are "unlikely to answer parental concerns adequately."

In the new study, Dr. Claire-Anne Siegrist, from the University of Geneva
in and colleagues sent a Web-based survey to 2070 Swiss physicians in
October 2004 to gauge their feelings about vaccinations for their own
children.

The overall response rate was 49.1% and just over half of the respondents
were pediatricians. Ninety percent of respondents had at least one child.

The nonpediatricians included 317 general practitioners, 144 internists,
and 95 physicians from other specialties. Compared with pediatricians,
nonpediatricians were more likely to be male, but less likely to work in
private practice.

As noted, nonpediatricians were less likely than pediatricians to have
their child immunized against measles, mumps, hepatitis B, or Haemophilus
influenzae type b and more likely to postpone DTP and MMR vaccination.

Both groups of physicians advocated the use of vaccines not included in
current recommendations, such as vaccines against hepatitis A, influenza,
and varicella.

Pediatricians were more than twice as likely as nonpediatricians to give
pneumococcal and meningococcal C vaccine to their own children. Conversely,
nonpediatricians were more likely to give tick-borne encephalitis virus
vaccine.

"Despite their scientific training and education, (nonpediatricians)
express the same concerns as those that prevail in the public," the authors
conclude. "Unless additional vaccine education and information efforts
targeted toward these physicians eventually prove successful, the control
of communicable diseases such as measles may prove impossible in
Switzerland and other countries."

Pediatrics 2005;116:e623-e633.