Whereas the annual influenza season in the United States is fairly predictable, the influenza vaccine supply is variable, leaving providers vulnerable to supply and demand fluctuations each season. During the 2004-2005 influenza vaccine shortage, Oregon invoked Oregon Revised Statute 433-030 to target vaccine supplies to protect persons at highest risk for complications from influenza. This case study describes Oregon's efforts to ration vaccine at the point of administration by limiting the number of individuals eligible for vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Data collected on more than 12,000 women in 15 randomized controlled trials provide robust evidence of the beneficial effects of doula support on medical outcomes to childbirth. The objective of this paper was to examine the association between doula support and maternal perceptions of the infant, self, and support from others at 6 to 8 weeks postpartum. The doula was a minimally trained close female relative or friend.
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