INFLUENCE OF PHYSICIANS RECOMMENDATION ON INFLUENZA IMMUNIZATION - PERCEPTION AND ACCEPTANCE AMONG A GROUP OF INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY

Elderly residents (201, mostly male ≥ 65 years old) from the VA nursing home care unit (NHCU) in Florida were surveyed by a questionnaire as to whether they had been voluntarily accepting influenza vaccine in the past and what factors had affected their decision. These veterans had an average length of stay at the NHCU of 12 months and ≥ 70% suffered from chronic diseases with a past history of smoking. Physician recommendation concerning immunization was found to be the most significant factor for vaccine compliance. Over half of the residents immunized within the past year could recall a physician personally giving a recommendation for vaccination. Among those not immunized during the year, 22% did not have yearly physician's recommendation and cited reasons such as unawareness of vaccine need, 20% disliked or feared the side effects and 14% lacked general motivation. These data indicate that physician intervention plays a strong role in the acceptance of influenza vaccination among hospitalized elderly veterans and appears to be more effective than the usual standing NHCU practice of vaccine offered by the nursing staff. The data also suggest that educational intervention measures may be beneficial, yet, not as effective as physician's intervention. © 1990.