ABSTRACT
Objective:To assess parents' attitude toward EPI [Expanded program on Immunization] in three Tertiary Care Hospitals of Karachi
Materials and Methods:This cross sectional hospital based study was conducted at three tertiary care hospitals of Karachi,PNS SHIFA Hospital, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center [JPMC] and Liaquat National Hospital [LNH] from a period of 20th July to 20th September, 2015. A structured questionnaire based interview was conducted on150 parents of children less than 5 year of age visiting for vaccination at these three tertiary care hospitals.Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23
Results:A total of 150 parents were interviewed, out of which 93 [62.0%] parents vaccinated their child immediately after birth, 148[98.7%] parents considered EPI as beneficial for their child's health, 113 [75.3%] parents were found to be aware of the complete vaccination schedule, 56[37.3%] parents had appropriate knowledge regarding vaccines and diseases enlisted on the EPI card, 139 [92.7%] parents kept the record of vaccination schedule, 143[95.3%] parents didn't ignored vaccination due to increased number of children and 21[14%]parents had fear regarding vaccination program
Conclusion:Parent's attitude toward EPI was positive. However, knowledge about vaccines and diseases and vaccines enlisted on EPI card was low