Effects of Education and Information on Vaccination Behavior in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Despite the existence of international guidelines, vaccination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been integrated optimally. We developed a thorough education program, and compared its influence on vaccination rates with routine clinical practice in a tertiary IBD center.

Between December 2014 and March 2015, we included 505 consecutive patients with IBD visiting our outpatient clinic (53% men, 72% Crohn's disease, median age 44 years). Vaccination data, including hepatitis B, influenza, pneumococcus, tetanus, and varicella zoster virus, as well as demographic data, were collected by a fellow in training or a certified gastroenterologist. Thereafter, patients were randomly assigned to group A receiving routine clinical practice or intervention group B receiving additional education by the IBD nurse with help of an information brochure and vaccination card. Vaccination status was reassessed 8 months later.

At baseline, 32% of patients were vaccinated according to the guidelines. The remaining 346 patients were randomized to group A (n = 206) or intervention group B (n = 140). Eight months after randomization, 33% of intervention group B versus 6% of group A followed vaccination recommendations and differences were significant for each vaccine (all P < 0.001). A higher educational level was independently associated with better compliance to pneumococcal vaccination (P = 0.008) and to the guidelines overall (P < 0.001). However, the educational intervention was the only consistent factor independently associated with improved compliance to each individual vaccination recommendation (all P ≤ 0.023).

Introduction of thorough vaccination education significantly increased compliance to vaccination guidelines. However, further education of patients and health care providers remains necessary.