Strategies to Increase Vaccinations in Adult Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Public Health
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Vaccination is vital for cancer patients, but achieving high coverage is difficult.
• Limited evidence exists on effective vaccination strategies in oncology settings.
• Cancer patients face unique challenges in vaccination uptake and hesitancy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review interventions aimed at improving vaccination uptake.
• To identify strategies that reduce vaccination hesitancy among cancer patients.
• To synthesize evidence on effective vaccination approaches in oncology.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Scopus up to end of 2023.
• Inclusion of 15 studies detailing unique interventions.
• Analysis of study designs, intervention components, target populations, and vaccination types.

Main Results:

• Most interventions were multi-component (60%), utilizing education, reminders, and counselling.
• Interventions targeting both patients and healthcare professionals were most effective.
• Significant improvements in vaccination uptake were reported in 66.7% of studies, particularly for influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Education, reminders, and counselling are key components for improving vaccination uptake.
• Multi-component interventions involving patients and providers show the most promise.
• Further rigorous research is needed due to methodological limitations and limited generalizability.