The Australian Immunisation Handbook 10th Edition 2013

Should a child or adolescent refuse a vaccination for which a parent/guardian
has given consent, the child/adolescent’s wishes should be respected and the
parent/guardian informed. 2
Consent on behalf of an adult lacking capacity
A careful assessment should be made of an adult’s capacity to give valid consent
to a vaccination. If the adult lacks capacity, practitioners should refer to relevant
state and territory laws relating to obtaining consent from a substitute decisionmaker.
For example, this may occur for influenza vaccination of an elderly person
with dementia. Refer to the enduring guardianship legislation appropriate for
your state or territory for further advice.
Resources to help communicate the risks and benefits of vaccines
Plain language should be used when communicating information about vaccines
and their use. The person to be vaccinated (or their parent/guardian) must be
encouraged and allowed to ask for further information and have sufficient time
to make a decision about whether to consent or not. 9,10
It is preferable that printed information is available to supplement any verbal
explanations. 11 The summary table Comparison of the effects of diseases and the side
effects of NIP vaccines inside the back cover of this Handbook provides some basic
information necessary to communicate the risks and benefits of vaccination.
The table can be photocopied and used freely as required.
More detailed information concerning vaccines and their use is available from
the following sources:
• www.immunise.health.gov.au
The Immunise Australia website includes the booklet Understanding childhood
immunisation, which contains frequently asked questions and links to
state and territory health department websites. Several of these sites offer
multilingual fact sheets.
• www.ncirs.edu.au
The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine
Preventable Diseases website includes fact sheets related to specific vaccines,
vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccine safety. The website also hosts
online decision aids to assist patients in deciding whether to vaccinate or not.
See also Appendix 4 Commonly asked questions about vaccination.
Evidence of consent
General practice or public immunisation clinics
Consent may be given either in writing or verbally, according to the protocols
of the health facility, but it must meet the criteria for valid consent. Evidence
of verbal consent should be documented in the clinical records. If a standard
procedure is routinely followed in a practice or clinic, then a stamp, a sticker
PART 2 VACCINATION PROCEDURES 27
2.1 PRE-VACCINATION