Adherence to expanded influenza immunization recommendations among primary care providers

Area of Science:

• Pediatric infectious disease
• Public health
• Primary care medicine

Background:

• The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) expanded recommendations in 2009 for annual influenza vaccination in all children.
• Assessing physician adherence and vaccination promotion strategies is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the adoption of expanded ACIP influenza vaccination recommendations by US pediatricians and family medicine physicians (FMs).
• To identify strategies employed by these physicians to promote childhood influenza vaccination.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to 416 pediatricians and 424 FMs between July and October 2009.
• Nationally representative networks of physicians were utilized for the survey sample.

Main Results:

• The overall response rate was 75%, with pediatricians (79%) responding more frequently than FMs (70%).
• Pediatricians reported higher adherence to ACIP recommendations (65%) compared to FMs (35%).
• Dedicated influenza vaccination clinics and reminder/recall systems were associated with increased routine vaccination rates.

Conclusions:

• In the initial year of expanded recommendations, approximately two-thirds of pediatricians and half of FMs reported adherence.
• Less than a quarter of physicians utilized reminder/recall systems for all children.
• Physician practices that adhered to ACIP guidelines were more likely to implement robust vaccination promotion strategies.