Tapping midwives' views about the neonatal hepatitis B vaccine: how welcome is a move towards a health promoting orientation?

Abstract

Issue addressed: Although current health care policies in theory are moving more towards inclusion of prevention and health promotion approaches alongside curative care, it is questioned whether these policies are being embraced by health care professionals in their practice. One area where providers might take an active health promoting role is in influencing parents' decisions to have their children vaccinated against serious diseases. This pilot exploratory study was undertaken to gain some understanding of attitudes and perceptions among midwives towards administering and promoting the neonatal dose of the hepatitis B vaccine.