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Press Release
VA Study Calls For More Aggressive Immunization: Many doctors do not strongly encourage flu, pneumonia shots for elderly and high-risk patients
Published 9 a.m. (ET) Monday, Dec. 9, 2001
Researchers at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center have determined that health care providers are not making the most of their opportunities to give influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations to their elderly and high-risk patients. In an article published in the Dec. 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, lead author Dr. Kristin Nichol, M.D. asserts that doctors may be missing many opportunities to provide vaccinations, with a significant number of doctors surveyed indicating that they do not strongly recommend shots to these patients.
Of 1,874 doctors responding to a survey, approximately one in seven generalists, and one in four sub-specialists, failed to very strongly recommend flu shots to their elderly patients. Since more than 60 percent of all elderly persons receive their flu shots at the doctor's office, physicians play a critical role in immunizing the elderly. According to Dr. Nichol, it is important that doctors make the most of the immunization opportunities that occur every day.
"There are very simple and effective strategies that doctors can use to increase their patient vaccination rates - some as simple as reminding the patient with a post card or telephone call before flu season begins," said Nichol. "Doctors can be reminded to make the most of their immunization opportunities by simple flagging the charts of patients who have not received a shot. Standing orders for nurses to offer and administer vaccinations to eligible patients are also highly effective."
If doctors fail to strongly recommend flu shots to the patients who need them most, a key link to immunization is lost. According to the article, influenza and pneumococcal diseases cause hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths every year. And of all vaccine-preventable diseases, these two are the most deadly, killing more than all other such diseases combined. More than 90 percent of those killed will be the elderly and others with high-risk medical conditions.
Recent estimates indicate the country is still well short of the national public health goal of vaccinating 90 percent of the elderly and 60 percent of high-risk patients by 2010. In 1999 only 67 percent of those above 65 were receiving a flu shot and only 55 percent reported having ever received a pneumococcal vaccination. Rates were even lower among those high-risk patients younger than 65.
"We hope that this VA study will encourage generalists and sub-specialists to take ownership of this immunization issue among their elderly and high risk patients. However, we strongly recommend that patients take it upon themselves to bring up the subject of vaccination as well," said Nichol.
Dr. Nichol's study was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs and vaccine manufacturer Aventis Pasteur. It follows her previous research that showed vaccinations to be effective in various patient populations. For example, one study found that flu shots reduced illness, absenteeism and health-care visits among working adults.
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