Journal Content Recommendation
01
Exploring barriers to influenza vaccine uptake and recommendation among healthcare providers in the community in China: A qualitative study
This study was published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics. The World Health Organization lists healthcare workers as a priority population for vaccination since they are occupationally susceptible to influenza. In four cities in Shandong Province (Jinan, Qingdao, Jining, and Weifang), 180 healthcare workers—49.4% of whom were vaccination nurses—were selected through purposive and convenience sampling to participate in this study from urban community health service centers (24) and township health hospitals (12). Five healthcare workers from six urban community health service centers and four township health hospitals were subjected to semi-structured interviews.
Questionnaires administered to the recruits showed that “86% of HCPs were willing to be vaccinated against influenza”. The interview’s findings showed how medical staff’s perception of vaccination benefits and risks, vaccine confidence, and vaccine accessibility influence their vaccination practices. However, “32.2% of those surveyed indicated that they were not willing to take the initiative to make recommendations.” The findings of the interviews provide insight into the factors that influence healthcare professionals’ decisions to recommend the vaccine. These factors include their level of knowledge about the vaccine, the division of their job responsibilities, the cost of patient-physician communication (including negative feedback from patients and the cost of time spent on communication), and their own experience of being vaccinated with the influenza vaccine. Among other things, healthcare workers who had received the flu vaccine were more likely to recommend the flu vaccine to others.
The study concludes that various interventions and support are needed to encourage healthcare workers to recommend and improve their influenza vaccination rates. These include enhanced training for primary healthcare workers, improved division of labor in vaccination services, urging doctors to recommend vaccination to patients, and community and media collaboration to effectively disseminate knowledge about influenza and vaccines. This will further increase the overall influenza vaccination rate.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2352916
02
Uptake and outcomes of VaxCheck, an adult life-course vaccination service: A study among community pharmacist
This study was published in Vaccine. Community pharmacists play an increasingly important role in vaccination and are trusted by the public to provide vaccine-related advice and care. This study aims to “develop and test a novel clinical service, VaxCheck, to support proactive life-course vaccination assessments by community pharmacists.”
From October 2022 to May 2023, 123 VaxCheck consultations were conducted at nine community pharmacies owned by Wholehealth Pharmacy Partners in Ontario, Canada. The study found that “Patient age averaged 60 years and 35.8 % had at least one chronic disease risk factor, 17.7 % had lifestyle-related risk factor(s), and 15.4 % were immunocompromised. 95.1 % of VaxCheck consultations resulted in at least one vaccine recommendation, averaging three vaccines per patient.” At least one vaccine was advised following a VaxCheck counseling session, with an average of three immunizations suggested per patient. The most commonly recommended vaccines included pneumococcal, tetanus/diphtheria, herpes zoster, COVID-19, and influenza, with the highest acceptance rate for vaccines that do not require a prescription and are free of charge at pharmacies.
Patient feedback was positive, with “85 % of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that they would recommend the service to others.” Only 5.9% of recommended vaccines were administered at the time of the consultation, which was largely influenced by the limitations of the pharmacist’s ability to prescribe and/or administer the vaccine and the inability of pharmacies to access publicly funded vaccine supplies.
Findings suggest that community pharmacists conducting VaxCheck counseling can proactively identify vaccines needed by patients. “Expansion in scope of practice and access to publicly funded vaccine is recommended to further support vaccine uptake.”
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.06.063
03
Integrative literature review on human papillomavirus vaccination recommendations in national immunization programs in select areas in the Asia-Pacific region
This study, published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, reviews human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs in selected regions of Asia-Pacific. There is limited relevant material, despite the region being responsible for more than half of the global burden of HPV-related disease. The study searched the literature on “HPV vaccination programs in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam”, mentioning data on recommendations, funding, and coverage of these programs to understand the current status of HPV vaccination across the Asia-Pacific region.
The study found that the implementation of HPV vaccination programs in the Asia-Pacific region varies across locations. As of 2022, “eight of the 10 areas of interest include HPV in their national immunization program (NIP) for school-aged girls; full implementation in Indonesia is expected in 2023 whereas Vietnam’s NIP does not include HPV”, while Vietnam has not yet included HPV. Singapore extends vaccination to females aged 18 to 26 years, but none of the regions include males. Most regions offer only one vaccine, primarily the 2- and 4-valent HPV vaccines, and the 9-valent vaccine is only used in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Although vaccination has been effective in reducing HPV-related disease in women, the burden of male-related disease remains. Major challenges should be better publicized and promoted, including vaccine availability, eligibility confusion, access issues, the political environment, and rumors/misinformation.
Findings suggest that while HPV vaccination programs have been implemented among school-age female students in some parts of Asia and the Pacific, further efforts are needed to expand to a wider population, including males and complementary vaccination groups, to achieve gender parity in HPV vaccination.
https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2362449
04
Timeliness of Childhood Vaccinations Following Strengthening of the Second Year of Life (2YL) Immunization Platform and Introduction of Catch-Up Vaccination Policy in Ghana
This study was published in Vaccines. In Ghana, the 18-month child healthcare follow-up provides an opportunity for a second dose of the measles-rubella (MR2) vaccine to be administered and for healthcare providers to assess whether a child has missed a dose of the vaccine and to provide catch-up vaccinations. In 2016, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) revised its National Immunization Policy to include guidelines for catch-up vaccinations. This study assessed how well Ghanaian children were vaccinated promptly according to the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) vaccination schedule following the introduction of a catch-up vaccination policy for the second life year (i.e., between the ages of 1 and 2 years for infants) and the implementation of a series of interventions.
Results show a general increase in the proportion of children receiving all recommended doses of vaccines on time, a reduction in under-vaccination duration, and an increase in measles-rubella vaccine coverage at earlier ages from 2016 to 2020. More timely immunization in infancy and caregiver knowledge of infant second life year visits were positively associated with measles-rubella vaccination. Despite the general success of the interventions, “regional and urban–rural disparities in vaccination timeliness were noted and will require targeted and multifaceted solutions to address.”
According to the study’s findings, increasing community demand for vaccinations in the “second year” of infants’ lives, developing a well-supported workforce of vaccinators, ensuring vaccination services are utilized by strengthening the tracking of unvaccinated individuals and caregiver reminder systems, and establishing a supportive policy environment are all necessary to improve childhood vaccination timeliness.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12070716
Content Editor: Linjing(Grace) Zhang
Page Editor: Ziqi Liu
