The Trump administration has made its largest imprint on the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule to date. Among the changes, the government schedule demotes shots once universally recommended into a designation called “shared clinical decision making.” The shift affects vaccines that protect against diseases such as hepatitis A, rotavirus and the flu.
It may not sound like a big change, just a suggestion to have a conversation with a doctor. But “shared clinical decision making” has a specific meaning in terms of vaccines, implying that the benefit and risk calculation isn’t clear-cut, even though that isn’t the case with the shots classified. The change adds to the confusion and doubt