We interviewed 493 members of the Physicians Consulting Network to estimate the number of physician-reported influenza vaccination reminders during the 2010–2011 influenza season.
Issuance of Patient Reminders for Influenza Vaccination by U.S.-based Primary Care Physicians During the First Year of Universal Influenza Vaccination Recommendations
Published in: American Journal of Public Health, v. 104, no. 6, June 2014, p. e60-e62
Posted on RAND.org on June 01, 2014
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Access further information on this document at American Journal of Public HealthThis article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.
Research Question
- What percentage of primary care physicians issued vaccination reminders during the 2010– 2011 influenza season, the first influenza season after universal vaccination recommendations were introduced?
To estimate the number of physician-reported influenza vaccination reminders during the 2010–2011 influenza season, the first influenza season after universal vaccination recommendations for influenza were introduced, we interviewed 493 members of the Physicians Consulting Network. Patient vaccination reminders are a highly effective means of increasing influenza vaccination; nonetheless, only one quarter of the primary care physicians interviewed issued influenza vaccination reminders during the first year of universal vaccination recommendations, highlighting the need to improve office-based promotion of influenza vaccination.
Key Finding
- Only about 1 in 4 of interviewed US-based primary care physicians reported issuing patient reminders for influenza vaccination during the 2010-2011 vaccination season.
Recommendation
Increasing the issuance of patient reminders for influenza vaccination should be a focus of future improvement efforts.
This article was published outside of RAND. The full text of the article can be found at the link above.
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