Attitudes about Adult Vaccines and Reminder/recall in a Safety Net Population

Authors

Karen Albright, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, University of DenverFollow
Laura P. Hurley, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, Division of General Internal Medicine, Denver Health and Hospital Authority
Steven Lockhart, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado
Dennis Gurfinkel, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado
Brenda Beaty, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado
L. Miriam Dickinson, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Anne Libby, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Allison Kempe, Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Colorado School of Public Health

Publication Date

11-10-2017

Document Type

Article

Organizational Units

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Sociology and Criminology

Keywords

Adult vaccination, Qualitative research, Patient perspectives, Socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, Reminder/recall

Abstract

Little is known about adult patients’ attitudes toward vaccination and preferences for reminder/recall. The objective of this study was to determine patient perspectives on adult vaccines generally; attitudes about Tdap, pneumococcal polysaccharide (PPSV-23), and seasonal influenza vaccines specifically; and preferences for adult reminder/recall delivery. Twelve focus groups were conducted with 68 patients in a safety net health system. The sample was stratified by preferred language (English or Spanish), age (18–64 or 65+), and health status (with or without chronic conditions). Participants expressed positive attitudes toward vaccines generally, but had little knowledge of specific vaccines other than influenza, about which they expressed concerns. Although none reported previous experience receiving reminder/recall notices for adult vaccines, all were in favor of receiving them. These results suggest potential patient interest in greater adoption of evidence-based methods to improve immunization rates, and highlight the need for improved communication between providers and patients about adult vaccines.

Publication Statement

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Recommended Citation

Albright, Karen, et al. “Attitudes about Adult Vaccines and Reminder/Recall in a Safety Net Population.” Vaccine, vol. 35, no. 52, 2017, pp. 7292–7296. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.11.001.