ABSTRACT
Background and/or Objectives: There is a paucity of studies evaluating adult vaccine uptake in patients seen by a physiatrist. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial for physiatrists who regularly care for patients with neurological and musculoskeletal medical conditions to determine if COVID-19 vaccination disparities among these populations may exist. The objective of our study was to evaluate the rates of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in patient seen in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Design(s): Retrospective single center study. Setting(s): Outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Participant(s): Adults with neurological or musculoskeletal medical conditions seen at an outpatient rehabilitation clinic between December 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 with an active Wisconsin Immunization Registry. Intervention(s): Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary outcome was completion of a COVID-19 primary vaccine series in adults seen in an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Result(s): 1362 patients met the inclusion criteria. 82.6% (n = 1125) completed a COVID-19 vaccination series. We found that those who had not completed a COVID- 19 vaccination series were more likely to be younger (46.6 +/- 14.8 vs 54.3 +/- 15.7;95% Confidence Interval (CI) [0.96-0.98], p< 0.001), identify as non-white (OR 0.50, 95% CI [0.31-0.80], p = 0.004), or be a current smoker (OR 1.80, 95% CI [1.20-2.71], p=0.005). Those who resided in an urban zip code (OR 0.54, 95% CI (0.40-0.72), p < 0.001), received an influenza vaccine during 2019-2020 (OR 0.19, 95% CI [0.14-0.26], p< 0.001), or had a higher comorbidity score (Charleson Comorbidity Index >2) (OR 0.35 [0.23-0.52];p < 0.001) were more likely to be fully immunized. Conclusion(s): There was a high rate of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among patients seen in a rehabilitation clinic, though racial, ethnic and geographic disparities did exist. Further studies are needed to determine why these disparities exist and investigate interventions to increase vaccine uptake in these populations.