Patient care team involvement increases influenza vaccination rates

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Involvement of a patient care team increases influenza vaccination rates in elderly people.

"Understanding the elderly decision-making process on influenza vaccination is important in developing appropriate strategies to increase uptake. Our objective was to explore the decision making process on influenza vaccination among an elderly population. Prospective documentation of baseline data and vaccination status of elderly primary care patients was followed by a telephone survey 5 months later to explore their decision-making process," scientists writing in the journal Patient Education and Counseling report.

"Baseline data and vaccination status were documented on 1,313 patients out of whom 51% received the influenza vaccine," said Uzi Milman and colleagues at the Israel Institute of Technology. "Telephone survey was attempted in all of them and eventually 950 (72.4%) were interviewed. When members of the patient care team (PCT) provided information on the vaccine, were consulted about it, and were actively involved in the vaccination decision, each resulted in a significantly higher (p<0.0001) rate of immunization. After logistic regression analysis, only consultation with PCT remained significantly associated with higher (p<0.0001) immunization rate."

The researchers concluded, "Our findings emphasize the central role of the patient care team in improving uptake of the influenza vaccine and point at the stages where change can, and should, be made."

Milman and associates published their study in Patient Education and Counseling (The role of the patient care team in elderly people decision on influenza vaccination. Patient Educ Couns, 2005;58(2):203-208).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting Uzi Milman, PO Box 675, Kfar Vradim 25147, Israel. E-mail: uzimy@netvision.net.il.

The publisher of the journal Patient Education and Counseling can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd., Customer Relations Manager, Bay 15, Shannon Industrial Estate, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Keywords: Haifa Israel, Influenza Vaccine, Vaccine Efficacy, Geriatrics, Immunology, Immunotherapy, Public Health. This article was prepared by Biotech Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2005, Biotech Week via NewsRx.com.

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