Influenza vaccination: a successful outpatient program

We initiated a program to evaluate patient reasons for refusing immunization in an allergy clinic. A general medicine clinic was studied for comparison. For the Northwestern University Allergy Service (NUAS) there were five full-time salaried and seven voluntary physicians. In the general medicine clinic there was one part-time salaried physician. Four hundred eighty-eight NUAS patients and 48 general medicine patients were evaluated. Ninety-five percent of the patients agreed to vaccination. Egg allergy, the only valid contraindication to influenza vaccination, was reported by three (< 1%) patients. Transient mild symptoms consisting of fatigue, myalgias, rhinitis and/or diarrhea were reported in 20% of the patients who received vaccination. No severe systemic reactions were reported. No significant difference in the vaccination acceptance rate was noted between the subspecialty and primary care outpatient clinics. The importance of influenza immunization in patients with asthma and in other high-risk populations deserves emphasis, and high success rates are achievable when emphasized by physicians.