Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China
Abstract Background To promote influenza vaccination coverage, a Chinese megacity, Shenzhen provides free influenza vaccination to its residents aged 60 years and above through community health centres (CHCs) since October 2016. A community health centre-based experiment was conducted by asking prim...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | BMC Primary Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-01980-3 |
| _version_ | 1797945800686305280 |
|---|---|
| author | Yating You Xiaoheng Li Shiqiang Jiang Jing Liang Pei Xie Xuan Zou Gang Liu Xinxin Han |
| author_facet | Yating You Xiaoheng Li Shiqiang Jiang Jing Liang Pei Xie Xuan Zou Gang Liu Xinxin Han |
| author_sort | Yating You |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background To promote influenza vaccination coverage, a Chinese megacity, Shenzhen provides free influenza vaccination to its residents aged 60 years and above through community health centres (CHCs) since October 2016. A community health centre-based experiment was conducted by asking primary care physicians (PCPs) working in the intervention health centres to proactively recommend influenza vaccination to their patients aged 60 and above during their patients’ visits. Methods This study used an experimental design and a survey design. The experimental design evaluated the effect of PCP recommendation on influenza vaccination. A total of 24 CHCs were randomly selected as the intervention (involving 3814 participants) and control (3072 participants) group evenly. The intervention study period was during the 2017–2018 flu season. The 2016–2017 flu season was considered as the baseline comparison. The survey design examined changes in knowledge, attitude, and practice of influenza vaccination among older participants before and after the free influenza vaccination implementation. We randomly invited 1200 participants aged 60 and above during their visits to CHCs in October 2016 and followed them up until October 2017; among them, 958 participants completed the follow-up survey using the same questionnaire. Results In the 2017–2018 flu season, 1,100 more patients got vaccinated in the intervention group under PCP recommendation compared with the 2016–2017 flu season. Among the 958 older adults in the post-implementation period, 77.5% had heard about the influenza vaccine, which was 24.7% higher than in the pre-implementation period; 84.8% of participants were aware where to take influenza vaccines, with the most improvement of 37.2% among all knowledge related questions; 62.5% of them agreed that patients with chronic diseases should have influenza vaccine, which was 19.1% higher than those being surveyed before the implementation period. About 83.6% of participants agreed older adults should have influenza vaccine, but there were still 58.4% who considered themselves too healthy to get vaccinated. Conclusion PCP recommendation improved influenza vaccine uptake and knowledge, attitude, and practice levels regarding influenza vaccination among older adults. More health policies and health education should be made to raise vaccination willingness and improve vaccination coverage among older adults. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:00:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c5bd47aebb04cc08d0dbce242c047e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2731-4553 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:00:51Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c5bd47aebb04cc08d0dbce242c047e02023-01-22T12:20:34ZengBMCBMC Primary Care2731-45532023-01-012411910.1186/s12875-023-01980-3Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in ChinaYating You0Xiaoheng Li1Shiqiang Jiang2Jing Liang3Pei Xie4Xuan Zou5Gang Liu6Xinxin Han7School of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and PreventionShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and PreventionShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and PreventionSchool of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and TechnologyShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and PreventionShenzhen Centre for Disease Control and PreventionSchool of Public Health and Emergency Management, Southern University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Background To promote influenza vaccination coverage, a Chinese megacity, Shenzhen provides free influenza vaccination to its residents aged 60 years and above through community health centres (CHCs) since October 2016. A community health centre-based experiment was conducted by asking primary care physicians (PCPs) working in the intervention health centres to proactively recommend influenza vaccination to their patients aged 60 and above during their patients’ visits. Methods This study used an experimental design and a survey design. The experimental design evaluated the effect of PCP recommendation on influenza vaccination. A total of 24 CHCs were randomly selected as the intervention (involving 3814 participants) and control (3072 participants) group evenly. The intervention study period was during the 2017–2018 flu season. The 2016–2017 flu season was considered as the baseline comparison. The survey design examined changes in knowledge, attitude, and practice of influenza vaccination among older participants before and after the free influenza vaccination implementation. We randomly invited 1200 participants aged 60 and above during their visits to CHCs in October 2016 and followed them up until October 2017; among them, 958 participants completed the follow-up survey using the same questionnaire. Results In the 2017–2018 flu season, 1,100 more patients got vaccinated in the intervention group under PCP recommendation compared with the 2016–2017 flu season. Among the 958 older adults in the post-implementation period, 77.5% had heard about the influenza vaccine, which was 24.7% higher than in the pre-implementation period; 84.8% of participants were aware where to take influenza vaccines, with the most improvement of 37.2% among all knowledge related questions; 62.5% of them agreed that patients with chronic diseases should have influenza vaccine, which was 19.1% higher than those being surveyed before the implementation period. About 83.6% of participants agreed older adults should have influenza vaccine, but there were still 58.4% who considered themselves too healthy to get vaccinated. Conclusion PCP recommendation improved influenza vaccine uptake and knowledge, attitude, and practice levels regarding influenza vaccination among older adults. More health policies and health education should be made to raise vaccination willingness and improve vaccination coverage among older adults.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-01980-3Influenza vaccinationOlder adultsPrimary care physiciansVaccination recommendationCommunity health centres |
| spellingShingle | Yating You Xiaoheng Li Shiqiang Jiang Jing Liang Pei Xie Xuan Zou Gang Liu Xinxin Han Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China BMC Primary Care Influenza vaccination Older adults Primary care physicians Vaccination recommendation Community health centres |
| title | Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China |
| title_full | Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China |
| title_fullStr | Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China |
| title_short | Can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults? A community health centre-based experimental study in China |
| title_sort | can primary care physician recommendation improve influenza vaccine uptake among older adults a community health centre based experimental study in china |
| topic | Influenza vaccination Older adults Primary care physicians Vaccination recommendation Community health centres |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-01980-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yatingyou canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT xiaohengli canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT shiqiangjiang canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT jingliang canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT peixie canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT xuanzou canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT gangliu canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina AT xinxinhan canprimarycarephysicianrecommendationimproveinfluenzavaccineuptakeamongolderadultsacommunityhealthcentrebasedexperimentalstudyinchina |