The role of the patient care team in elderly people decision on influenza vaccination.

Abstract

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. Baseline data and vaccination status were documented on 1313 patients out of whom 51% received the influenza vaccine. 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. Our findings emphasize the central role of the PCT in improving uptake of the influenza vaccine and point at the stages where change can, and should, be made.