Suboptimal COVID-19 vaccine uptake among hospitalised patients: an opportunity to improve vulnerable, hard-to-reach population vaccine rates.
Intern Med J
; 52(10): 1691-1697, 2022 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1731168
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
COVID-19 vaccination represents a key preventative part of the Australian public health approach to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Hospital inpatients are frequently high risk for severe COVID-19 and death. Anecdotes of high-risk inpatients being unvaccinated and a lack of electronic medical record (EMR) visibility of COVID-19 vaccination status prompted the present study as these patients could represent a risk to themselves, staff, other patients and service provision.AIMS:
To determine the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine among inpatients at an adult Australian tertiary public hospital and identify reasons for non-vaccination.METHODS:
A point-prevalence study of patient-reported COVID-19 vaccine status was conducted on 26 October 2021 through an in-person interview with collection of demographic factors and reasons for non-vaccination.RESULTS:
Of 368 (68% of inpatients) participants, 280 (76%) reported receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Vaccination status was associated with older age, having received the flu vaccine, being born in Australia and not requiring an English-language interpreter. The majority (88%) of participants had at least one comorbid risk factor for severe COVID-19. Of the unvaccinated (n = 88), 67% were willing to be vaccinated with 54% of those indicating vaccination in hospital would be helpful and 42% requesting approval from their doctor.CONCLUSIONS:
Vaccine uptake in our cohort is suboptimal. Existing public health programmes have failed to reach this high-risk, vulnerable population. Changes to the national vaccination strategy to include a parallel inhospital programme for all hospital encounters and target culturally and linguistically diverse individuals might improve uptake among this high-risk, hard-to-reach group of patients.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Influenza Vaccines
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Topics:
Vaccines
Limits:
Adult
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Oceania
Language:
English
Journal:
Intern Med J
Journal subject:
Internal Medicine
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Imj.15731
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