Vaccination Timing: Threading the Needle Between “Too Early” and “Too Late”

Vaccines are a cornerstone of pediatric care and are among the most important US public health achievements.^1,2 Reliable vaccine delivery results in substantial morbidity and mortality reduction, with associated cost avoidance.³ Yet, despite incredible advances in both vaccine and information technology in recent years, vaccine delivery remains a complex and oftentimes human process subject to human error. In this issue of Pediatrics, Albers et al explore in depth how often, and to some degree why, the timing of vaccine delivery goes wrong.⁴ 

In earlier work, Albers and colleagues employed the National Immunization Survey–Child (NIS–Child) to explore failure to complete multidose vaccine series,⁵ timeliness of vaccine delivery,⁶ and undervaccination⁷ in young children. NIS–Child, operated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a particularly powerful research tool because it integrates both parent-reported and provider-verified vaccination records.⁸ In the present study,...