Teaching mothers about childhood immunizations.

This article describes an educational intervention designed to increase maternal knowledge and understanding of the need for, and timing of, childhood immunizations and to clarify misconceptions about vaccine efficacy and safety. A pamphlet was used as a method of imparting pertinent information about childhood immunization to mothers in the early postpartum period. Strategies known to be effective for women with low literacy levels were used in the pamphlet's design. It was piloted as an adjunct discharge teaching tool with 10 mothers in a large Southern teaching hospital in the United States. The pamphlet's use was openly received, considered effective, and endorsed by the mothers and nursing staff. The pamphlet is easy to use and duplicate, and can serve as a future resource to mothers after discharge. Because the problem of childhood underimmunization continues to be a serious concern for specific populations, it is essential that mothers have access to information that is concise, user friendly, and written at their level of understanding.