| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
| Influenza immunization coverage in older hospitalized patients during winter 1998-99 in Carmarthenshire, UK | | Author(s) | Abhaya Gupta, Ken Makinde, Granville Morris |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 29, no 3, May 2000 |
| Pages | pp 211-214 |
| Keywords | Influenza ; Immunisation ; In-patients ; Dyfed [1974-1996]. |
| Annotation | Despite the Department of Health's (DoH) recommendation for vaccination of high-risk individuals, uptake remains inadequate and many preventable deaths and hospitalisations continue to occur every year. In view of this, the authors carried out a questionnaire-based interview of reasons for refusing influenza immunisation by 443 patients aged 65 and over who were admitted to hospital medical wards in Llanelli, South Wales during December 1998 and January 1999. Of 383 patients to whom influenza vaccination was recommended according to DoH guidelines, only 48% received it during winter 1998/99. The commonest reason given by those unvaccinated was lack of information from the general practitioner (GP) (in 26% of cases). Other reasons were concern about vaccine side effects (21%), perceived good health (16%), and concern about vaccine efficacy (11%). Strategies for increasing immunisation coverage should aim at improving public awareness of the need for safety of and methods of receiving vaccine. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000824226 A |
| Classmark | CJM: LLF: LF7: 93 |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|