The flu is an acute respiratory disease, with strains that include avian or bird flu, H1N1 "swine flu," and seasonal influenza. RAND tracks influenza vaccination rates in the United States, conducts tabletop exercises to help policymakers simulate an influenza pandemic, and offers toolkits to practitioners and government leaders to aid public health preparedness.
Commentary
Having dealt with outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu and other communicable diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and H1N1 swine flu in 2009, health officials are now far better prepared to detect new diseases early and react quickly to monitor and contain their spread.
Journal Article
Self-triage using web-based decision support could be a useful way to encourage appropriate care-seeking behavior and reduce health system surge in epidemics.
Blog
More than a dozen hospital staffers in four states have been terminated for refusing flu shots in the midst of a fierce flu season. Yet only one-tenth of health care employers require their staff to be vaccinated.
Journal Article
The after action report/improvement plan (AAR/IP) can be useful for both accountability and quality improvement, but these objectives require different foci and methodological approaches.
Blog
For vaccination to become a public health priority in the U.S., stakeholders must strengthen guidance for providers, which would make it easier for physicians to both assess vaccination needs and aid communication with patients about the efficacy and safety of vaccines.
Journal Article
Federal support for health security research is heavily weighted toward preparing for bioterrorism and other biological threats, providing significantly less funding for challenges such as monster storms or attacks with conventional bombs.
Report
RAND researchers developed an initial prototype tool to help determine capabilities and resources a locality will likely require during a disaster. The report also describes two social networking tools for local coordination of disaster preparedness.
Research Brief
Vaccine-preventable diseases take a heavy toll on U.S. adults despite the widespread availability of vaccines. Office-based providers can do more to promote adult vaccinations but need clearer guidance and a better business case to offer them.
Journal Article
This study seeks to evaluate longitudinal trends in people's risk perceptions and vaccination intentions during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
News Release
Researchers from the RAND Corporation and other institutions have begun pilot-testing a web-based tool designed to help parents and adult caregivers determine whether to seek urgent medical attention for a sick child with flu-like symptoms.
Journal Article
A majority of HCP support influenza vaccination requirements. Moreover, providing HCP with information about the safety of influenza vaccination and communicating that immunization of HCP is a patient safety issue may be important for generating staff support for influenza vaccination requirements.
News Release
Promoting immunizations as a part of routine office-based medical practice is needed to improve adult vaccination rates, a highly effective way to curb the spread of diseases across communities, prevent needless illness and deaths, and lower health care costs.
Report
Promoting immunizations as a part of routine office-based medical practice is needed to improve adult vaccination rates, a highly effective way to curb the spread of diseases across communities, prevent needless illness and deaths, and lower health care costs.
Journal Article
There is growing concern that climate change will lead to more frequent natural disasters that may adversely affect short- and long-term health outcomes in developing countries.
Commentary
To assure the health security of the United States, we must be capable of stopping anything a terrorist or Mother Nature might throw at us. Wholesale cuts to public health are taking us farther from that goal, write Art Kellermann and Melinda Moore.
Journal Article
Cooperation among the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance countries improved their response to the 2009 H1N1 virus in areas previously considered problematic.
Journal Article
This article reports on the results of a survey of health care workers to determine whether they had received an influenza vaccine in April 2011.
Journal Article
Communication between healthcare providers and adults about influenza vaccination was relatively uncommon during the 2009-2010 pandemic. Increased communication could significantly enhance influenza vaccination rates.
Research Brief
Promoting Flu Vaccination Among Health Care Personnel
Research Brief
RAND researchers found that less than half of U.S. adults received flu vaccinations in 2010. Strategies to increase flu vaccination rates should include stronger efforts to address public skepticism and negative perceptions.
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