Cost-effectiveness of seasonal inactivated influenza vaccination among pregnant women

ObjectiveTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of seasonal inactivated influenza vaccination among pregnant women using data from three recent influenza seasons in the United States.Design, setting, and participantsWe developed a decision-analytic model following a cohort of 5.2 million pregnant women and their infants aged <6 months to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating women against seasonal influenza during pregnancy from a societal perspective. The main outcome measures were quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained and cost-effectiveness ratios. Data sources included surveillance data, epidemiological studies, and published vaccine cost data. Sensitivity analyses were also performed. All costs and outcomes were discounted at 3% annually.Main outcome measuresTotal costs (direct and indirect), effects (QALY gains, averted case numbers), and incremental cost-effectiveness of seasonal inactivated influenza vaccination among pregnant women (cost per QALY gained).ResultsUsing a recent benchmark of 52.2% vaccination coverage among pregnant women, we studied a hypothetical cohort of 2,753,015 vaccinated pregnant women. With an estimated vaccine effectiveness of 73% among pregnant women and 63% among infants <6 months, QALY gains for each season were 305 (2010–2011), 123 (2011–2012), and 610 (2012–2013). Compared with no vaccination, seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy was cost-saving when using data from the 2010–2011 and 2012–2013 influenza seasons. The cost-effectiveness ratio was greater than $100,000/QALY with the 2011–2012 influenza season data, when CDC reported a low attack rate compared to other recent seasons.ConclusionsInfluenza vaccination for pregnant women can reduce morbidity from influenza in both pregnant women and their infants aged <6 months. Seasonal influenza vaccination during pregnancy is cost-saving during moderate to severe influenza seasons.     

宁波市医务人员流感疫苗接种情况及影响因素分析

目的了解浙江省宁波市医务人员流感疫苗接种情况,探讨影响医务人员流感疫苗接种的主要因素。方法采用二阶段抽样法对浙江省宁波市30家各级医疗机构1 217名医务人员进行问卷调查,了解其一般情况、流行性感冒(流感)和流感疫苗知识、2010—2012流感疫苗接种率、2012—2013流感疫苗接种意愿及不考虑接种的原因等信息。结果2010—2012年2个流行季节医务人员流感疫苗接种率为12.37%;38.39%的医务人员表示会在2012年流感高峰到来前接种流感疫苗,如果疫苗免费接种则有62.13%的医务人员考虑接种;不考虑接种的因素包括"疫苗效果有限"(66.76%)、"担心疫苗副作用"(55.52%)、"身体好没必要接种"(54.15%)、"每年接种太麻烦"(43.20%)和"疫苗不免费"(35.30%)等;多因素分析结果显示,2年内接种过流感疫苗、认为接种流感疫苗是预防流感最有效的手段、知晓医务人员是推荐接种流感疫苗人群、知晓流感疫苗可以用医保支付、流感疫苗知识掌握好、二级医疗机构、在医技/护士/医生岗位可提高宁波市医务人员流感疫苗的接种意愿;而知晓流感疫苗每年接种1次、三级医疗机构、在感染/传染和其他科室可降低医务人员流感疫苗的接种意愿。结论宁波市医务人员流感疫苗接种率较低,不考虑接种的主要原因是对流感疫苗有效性和安全性缺乏信心、对流感危害认识不足以及疫苗不免费。     

青岛市医务人员流感疫苗接种及影响因素分析

目的 了解山东省青岛市医务人员流感疫苗接种情况, 探索影响医务人员接种流感疫苗的主要因素。方法 采用整群分层抽样方法对青岛市6家不同级别医疗机构的1 301名医务人员进行调查。对流感及流感疫苗认知现状进行描述性分析, 用logistic回归模型对疫苗接种率的影响因素进行单因素和多因素分析。结果 2013—2014年流感季流感疫苗接种率为4.8%(63/1 301), 未接种的主要原因是担心出现疫苗不良反应, 占43.4%(412/950)。多因素分析结果显示, 社区乡镇卫生院(OR=8.23, 95%CI=3.78~17.93)、二级医院(OR=2.27, 95%CI=1.02~5.06)、之前3年不连续接种(OR=2.01, 95%CI=1.08~3.77)或每年均接种流感疫苗(OR=3.49, 95%CI=1.23~9.92)、担心流感季节患流感(OR=2.72, 95%CI=1.46~5.05)、认同不接种流感疫苗, 容易得流感(OR=2.49, 95%CI=1.26~4.91)和得流感会后悔(OR=3.03, 95%CI=1.29~7.08)、季前接种意愿为有可能(OR=2.73, 95%CI=1.42~5.26)、可能性大(OR=6.44, 95%CI=2.55~16.26)的医务人员更容易接种流感疫苗。结论 医务人员流感疫苗接种率很低, 担心疫苗安全性是阻碍接种的首要原因;医院层级、流感疫苗接种史、季前接种意愿和态度心理等因素是医务人员季节性流感疫苗接种影响因素。     

Factors affecting uptake of influenza vaccination among family physicians

AimThe aim of this study was to determine the factors that influenced the decisions of family physicians working in primary care health services to receive influenza vaccines.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was performed between June 2014 and September 2014. Physicians were reached electronically via e-mail. A self-reported questionnaire consisting of 50 items covering potential factors that may have influenced their decision to receive vaccination, including perceived risk, severity of the perceived risk, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, cues to action, attitudes, social influences and personal efficacy, was administered to the study participants. Cronbach's alpha for the questionnaire was determined to be 0.92 in the pilot study.ResultsThe response rate was 27.5% (n = 596). Regularly vaccinated physicians accounted for 27.3% of the responses. The median age was 41.84 ± 7.80, and the median working duration of the group was 17.0 ± 7.8 years. The factors that led to increased vaccination compliance (p < 0.05) included working duration, age, chronic disease history and living with a person over 65 years. Nearly all major domains, i.e., perceived risk, severity of the perceived risk, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, attitudes, social influences and personal efficacy, there were differences between the compliant and noncompliant groups. Multi-regression analyses revealed that risk perception, organizational factors such as time and convenient vaccination increased vaccine compliance. However, the perceived necessity to be vaccinated annually had a negative effect on vaccination behaviour (p < 0.05).ConclusionStrategies aimed to increase the flu vaccination ratio among physicians that do not take different factors into account are more likely to be unsuccessful. In the planning and implementation of strategies aiming to increase the vaccination ratio among physicians, it is both necessary and important to take into account behavioural and organizational factors.     

Determinants of influenza vaccination among young Taiwanese children

ObjectiveAccording to the Health Belief Model (HBM), individual perceptions of susceptibility, severity, benefit, barrier, self-efficacy, and cues to action are associated with health actions. In this study, we investigated the perceptions and social factors that influence the intention to vaccinate children against influenza among parents of young Taiwanese children.MethodsA nationwide survey was performed using stratified random sampling to explore the beliefs, attitudes, and intentions of parents/main caregivers with regard to vaccinating children aged 6 months to 3 years against influenza. A questionnaire was developed based on the HBM and multivariate logistic regression analyses of 1300 eligible participants were used to identify significant predictors of the intention to vaccinate.ResultsGreater perceived benefit, cues to action, and self-efficacy of childhood vaccination against influenza were positively associated with the intention to vaccinate. Children's experience of influenza vaccinations in the past year was also a positive predictor. However, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity regarding influenza and perceived barriers to vaccination were not predictive of the intention to vaccinate.ConclusionIn addition to perceived benefits and cues to action, self-efficacy of parents/main caregivers was significantly predictive of their intention to accept influenza vaccination for their young children. These components of the HBM could be used in formulating strategies aimed at promoting the use of influenza vaccine.     

Translating evidence into practice. The case of influenza vaccination.

A problem common to all health care systems remains the translation of robust evidence into effective practice. Influenza vaccination has been reported to be an effective public health care intervention, but guidelines on coverage and subsequent uptake rates for vaccination across European countries vary substantially. One challenge therefore is to evaluate how effective different implementation mechanisms may be in improving overall vaccination rates for target populations across Europe.     

Post-traumatic stress disorder among family physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina

BACKGROUND: The traumatic events experienced by thousands of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 conflict may have a lasting effect on the mental health of the country, characterized by high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A diagnosis of PTSD among family physicians could affect their ability to diagnose and treat patients for depression, anxiety and PTSD. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of PTSD among family medicine physicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire, including the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) which is a validated scale for PTSD screening, was distributed to family medicine residents and specialists in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The prevalence of PTSD was determined, and factors related to PTSD were considered. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-three (90.5%) of the 147 physicians who were available to be surveyed completed the questionnaire. Of the 88% who had a traumatic experience during the war, 18% met the criteria for PTSD. The likelihood of meeting the criteria for PTSD was not affected by age, sex or whether the physician had worked in a field hospital during the war. However, a positive response to the question "Do you think the traumatic event you experienced during the war still affects you today?" was highly associated with the diagnosis of PTSD (odds ratio 7.26, 95% confidence interval: 1.57-33.60). Also, this question was shown to have a high degree of sensitivity and negative predictive value, and may be of use as a screening tool for ruling out the presence of PTSD after a traumatic war experience.     

新冠感染流行对湖南省儿童流感疫苗接种的影响分析

目的 分析2018—2021年新型冠状病毒感染(简称新冠感染)流行前后湖南省儿童流感疫苗接种情况，为提高流感疫苗接种率提供基础数据。方法 通过湖南省免疫规划信息系统收集儿童流感疫苗接种信息，采用SPSS 25.0分析不同时间、年龄、地区接种率，统计学比较采用χ²检验。结果 2018—2021年6月龄～17岁儿童流感疫苗接种数分别为387 928剂次、587 206剂次、1 512 607剂次、1 114 314剂次，其中新冠感染流行后的2020年较流行前的2019年增长幅度较大，增加了157.6%;当年10月至次年3月为流感疫苗接种高峰；接种率最高是湘东地区，湘西和湘北次之。1～10岁儿童流感疫苗第1、2剂接种率在9.14%～42.62%之间，其中，5、6岁组儿童第1剂接种率最高，接种率>40%。结论 新冠感染流行后儿童流感疫苗接种率明显增加，接种高峰持续时间增加，但仍有待进一步加强。     

Cost-effectiveness of live-attenuated influenza vaccination among school-age children

The current pediatric vaccination program in England and Wales administers Live-Attenuated Influenza Vaccine (LAIV) to children ages 2–16 years old. Annual administration of LAIV to this age group is costly and poses substantial logistical issues. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of prioritizing vaccination to age groups within the 2–16 year old age range to mitigate the operational and resource challenges of the current strategy. We performed economic evaluations comparing the influenza vaccination program from 1995–2013 to seven alternative strategies targeted at low risk individuals along the school age divisions Preschool (2–4 years old), Primary school (5–11 years old), and Secondary school (12–16 years old). These extensions are evaluated incrementally on the status quo scenario (vaccinating subgroups at high risk of influenza-related complications and individuals 65+ years old). Impact of vaccination was assessed using a transmission model from a previously published study and updated with new data. At all levels of coverage, all strategies had a 100% probability of being cost-effective at the current National Health Service threshold, £20,000/QALY gained. The incremental analysis demonstrated vaccinating Primary School children was the most cost-efficient strategy compared incrementally against others with an Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio of £639 spent per QALY gained (Net Benefit: 404 M£ [155, 795]). When coverage was varied between 30%, 55%, and 70% strategies which included Primary school children had a higher probability of being cost-effective at lower willingness-to-pay levels. Although children were the vaccine target the majority of QALY gains occurred in the 25–44 years old and 65+ age groups. Influenza strain A/H3N2 incurred the greatest costs and QALYs lost regardless of which strategy was used. Improvement could be made to the current LAIV pediatric vaccination strategy by eliminating vaccination of 2–4 year olds and focusing on school-based delivery to Primary and Secondary school children in tandem.     

Negative impact of prior influenza vaccination on current influenza vaccination among people infected and not infected in prior season: A test-negative case-control study in Japan

BackgroundAccumulating evidences indicate that repeated influenza vaccination has negative impact on the vaccine effectiveness (VE). However no published studies considered past influenza infection when assessing the VE of repeated vaccination.MethodsProspective surveillance was conducted from 2009 to 2012 at a community hospital on a small island in Japan. The study included all outpatients with an influenza-like illness (ILI) who attended the hospital, and a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) was used to diagnose influenza A/B infection. The VE of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) against medically attended influenza A (MA-fluA) was estimated using a test-negative case-control study design. The influence of TIV in the prior season on VE in the current season was investigated in the context of MA-fluA during the prior season.ResultsDuring the three influenza seasons, 5838 ILI episodes (4127 subjects) were analysed. Subjects who had an episode of MA-fluA in the prior season were at a significantly lower risk of MA-fluA in the current season (adjusted odds ratio: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.30–0.50). The overall adjusted VE was 28% (95% CI, 14–40). VE was substantially lower in subjects vaccinated in the prior season compared to those who had not been vaccinated in prior season (19%; 95% CI: 0–35 vs 46%; 95% CI: 26–60, test for interaction, P value <0.05). In subjects who did not have MA-fluA in the prior season showed the attenuation of VE due to repeated vaccination (13%; 95% CI: −7 to 30 vs 44%; 95% CI: 24–59, test for interaction, P < 0.05). However this effect was not detected in subjects who had contracted MA-fluA in the prior season.ConclusionsNegative effects of repeated vaccination were significant among those without history of MA-fluA in the prior season.     

Cluster randomized trial of a multifaceted primary care decision-support intervention for inherited breast cancer risk

BACKGROUND: GPs are increasingly expected to meet the needs of patients concerned about their risk of inherited breast cancer, but may lack skills or confidence to use complex management guidelines. We developed an evidence-based, multifaceted intervention intended to promote confidence and skills in this area. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in improving GP confidence in managing patients concerned about genetic risk of breast cancer. METHODS: DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled trial. SETTING: General practices in the Grampian region of Scotland. SUBJECTS: GPs and the patients they referred for genetic counselling for risk of breast cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: GPs' self-reported confidence in four activities related to genetics; rates of referral of patients at elevated genetic risk; and referred patients' understanding of cancer risk factors. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between intervention and control arms in the primary or secondary outcomes. A possible effect of the intervention on the proportion of referred patients who were at elevated risk could not be discounted. Only a small proportion of intervention GPs attended the educational session, were aware or the software, or made use of it in practice. CONCLUSIONS: No convincing evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention was found, probably reflecting barriers to its use in routine practice.     

Intradermal influenza vaccination in immunocompromized patients is immunogenic and feasible

Background

Many strategies, including intradermal vaccination, have been tested to augment antibody responses upon vaccination. This strategy has not been evaluated in different groups of immunocompromized patients. We conducted a prospective, randomized study to compare the humoral response upon standard intramuscular influenza vaccination with the response upon reduced-dose intradermal vaccination in patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, hematologic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients, and healthy controls.

Methods

In total 156 immunocompromized patients and 41 healthy controls were randomized to receive either 0.5 mL of the 2005/2006 trivalent influenza vaccine intramuscular or 0.1 mL intradermal. Humoral responses, determined by hemagglutination inhibition assay, were measured before and 28 days postvaccination. Geometric mean titers (GMTs) and protection rates (PRs) are reported as primary outcomes, adverse events as a secondary outcome.

Results

Reduced-dose intradermal vaccination leads to similar GMTs and PRs, within all tested groups, compared to the standard intramuscular vaccination. Healthy controls yielded significantly better GMTs and PRs than immunocompromized patients. Local skin reactions after intradermal vaccination occurred less frequent and were milder in immunocompromized patients than in healthy subjects and were predictive for a positive vaccination outcome for individual subjects.

Conclusions

Intradermal influenza vaccination is a feasible alternative for standard intramuscular vaccination in several groups of immunocompromized patients, including those treated with anti-TNF, HIV-infected patients and HSCT patients. The occurrence of a local skin reaction after intradermal vaccination is predictive of a response to at least one of the vaccine antigens.     

Determinants of influenza vaccination timing

New guidelines recommend different influenza vaccination timing for different subpopulations due to the limited availability of flu shots (FS). This study's objectives are to develop a theoretical model to demonstrate why some individuals choose to receive an early FS while others choose a late FS and to empirically explore the determinants of vaccination timing. Empirical results generally supported the theoretical results. Individuals vary their FS timing in response to variations in perceived risks, chronic condition levels reflecting their risk of influenza infection, and opportunity costs, measured by the presence of medical care other than an FS.     

中国医疗机构工作人员流感疫苗预防接种指南

为了加强中国医疗机构工作人员流感疫苗的接种, 中华预防医学会医院感染控制分会联合中国临床实践指南联盟制定了《中国医疗机构工作人员流感疫苗预防接种指南》。本指南结合国内外研究进展和专家意见, 主要关注了7个临床相关问题, 并根据牛津循证医学中心2011版证据质量评估表对研究进行证据评级, 最终形成推荐意见。指南强调了医疗机构工作人员接种流感疫苗的重要性, 降低自身流感患病率可有效减少医院传播风险。本指南建议: 如无禁忌证, 医疗机构工作人员均应积极接种流感疫苗。推荐对感染传播风险极高的工作人员、高危人群和孕妇优先接种流感疫苗。另外, 指南还提供了疫苗的选择、接种时间及接种频次的建议。鉴于目前我国医疗机构工作人员流感疫苗接种率偏低且地区差异明显, 本指南建议进一步加强关于流感疫苗接种的健康教育, 根据各个省市区具体情况, 采取"多元化"方法, 积极开展有组织的接种活动。     

Collecting genetic information in primary care: evaluating a new family history tool

BACKGROUND: The family history is a time-honoured method for identifying genetic predisposition. In specialist practice the standard approach is to draw up a family tree based on a genetic pedigree interview, but this is too time-consuming and focused on single gene disorders to be applicable in primary care. OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of a brief self-administered Family History Questionnaire (FHQ), given to patients when they register with a GP, to identify genetic risk. METHODS: A comparative study. Informants completed an FHQ at registration, and later participated in a genetic pedigree interview. Two clinical geneticists independently scored results obtained with each instrument. Discrepancies were agreed by consensus. The genetic risks identified by the two instruments were compared. RESULTS: 326 new registrants completed the FHQ, and 121 also completed the genetic interview. 24% of FHQs and 36% of genetic interviews resulted in a score 'higher than population risk'. There was 77% agreement in the scores obtained with the two instruments, with a moderate kappa of 0.52. (95% CI 0.40-0.64). There was 90% agreement in the scores for a family history of premature coronary heart disease (Kappa 0.67; 95% CI 0.49 to 0.85). The instruments were equally effective in identifying ethnicity-related risk of common recessive disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The FHQ identified most informants with genetic risks that are appropriately addressed in primary care-those with a family history of premature coronary heart disease, those warranting specialist referral, and those who might appropriately be offered carrier testing. However, it was less effective in identifying those with a possible Mendelian disorder for whom more information was required.     

Prevalence and predictors of polypharmacy among older primary care patients in Germany

BACKGROUND: Older people consume an increasing amount of medication. Polypharmacy is associated with an elevated risk of adverse health outcomes resulting in hospitalizations and sometimes death. OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) medications among older general practice patients living in the community. To determine predictors of polypharmacy (five or more prescribed drugs) from a variety of patient- and doctor-related factors. METHODS: Sixty-seven randomly selected practices in two areas of Germany and 466 of their older patients (70+ years) were recruited for a geriatric assessment study. A cross-sectional analysis of health problems, GPs' awareness and their interventions was conducted. In this post hoc analysis, we assessed the medication use as reported by older patients and compared it with doctors' perceived medication regimens for their respective patients. The detailed assessment of patients' health and well-being enabled us to explore a variety of predictors of polypharmacy using logistic regression analysis with forward selection. RESULTS: Study participants consumed an average of 3.7 prescribed medicines and an additional 1.4 OTC drugs. In all, 26.7% of patients used five and more chronically prescribed drugs. A set of five determinants predicted polypharmacy best: breathlessness, hypertension, dependency on instrumental activities of daily living, low subjective health and medication disagreement between doctors and patients. CONCLUSION: This older general practice population in Germany is among the top pharmaceutical user group of European study samples. Apart from disease-specific determinants, GPs should be aware that low subjective health and medication disagreement are independent predictors of polypharmacy.     

Why do doctors issue sick notes? An experimental questionnaire study in primary care

BACKGROUND: Issuing sick notes is one of the core tasks of General Practice and yet little research has explored how doctors decide whether or not to offer a sick note. AIM: To explore what factors influence this decision with a focus on the impact of type of problem (psychological versus physical), adverse family circumstances (present versus absent) and patient demand (asks for note versus does not ask). DESIGN: Experimental factorial design using questionnaire-based vignettes with eight scenarios which varied in terms of the three core factors. SETTING: East and West Sussex PCTs. OUTCOME MEASURES: Doctors' beliefs about the patient and their subsequent behaviour. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and eighty-nine GPs completed a questionnaire asking them to rate one of eight hypothetical patients in terms of their beliefs about the patient and their hypothetical behaviour. RESULTS: The doctors rated the patient with the psychological problem as more ill, less work-shy, more unfit for work and described feeling more sympathy towards him compared with the patient with the physical problem. The presence of adverse family circumstances generated more sympathy and doctors considered this patient as less work-shy. A patient demand for a sick note had no effect on doctors' beliefs about the patient. In terms of doctors' behaviour, the doctors were more likely to give the patient with the psychological problem a sick note overall and because they felt he needed or deserved one, and more likely to give the patient with the physical problem a sick note in order to maintain a relationship with him. The decision to give a sick note was not influenced by either adverse family circumstances or patient demand. CONCLUSION: Doctors have more positive beliefs about patients with a psychological problem and are more likely to offer them a sick note. Issuing sick notes is unrelated to the patient's family circumstances or patient demand.