Discussing barriers, concerns key for getting older adults vaccinated
Care provider recommendation, more information help boost vaccination rates
2025-02-13
(Press-News.org)
A clear endorsement from their healthcare provider and being supplied information about recommended vaccines before their clinic visit spurred more older Americans to get vaccinated, a new University of Virginia School of Medicine study found.
Because immune systems age like the rest of the body, older adults are at higher risk for poor outcomes from infections. But only 15% of Americans ages 50 and older and 25% of Americans ages 65 and older are up to date on all recommended vaccines, including flu, RSV, tetanus and pneumococcal disease.
In the study, six primary care clinics across America piloted a new approach to boosting vaccination rates. This included providing patients a decision-making ahead of their clinic visit that listed vaccination recommendations and encouraged the patients to share concerns about getting vaccinated. After using the tool, 79% of patients said they were willing to get vaccinated, compared with 68% beforehand.
The approach also featured collaborative learning sessions where patients and healthcare providers discussed patients’ concerns and barriers to getting vaccinated. Sixty-three percent of patients in the study said that a strong recommendation from their healthcare provider would motivate them to get vaccinated.
“The vaccination schedule for older adults, like for pediatric patients, can be confusing – to know what is needed and when,” said Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, a UVA Health geriatrician and lead author of the study. “Patients in the study reported that a clear recommendation from their healthcare provider was most impactful in getting them vaccinated.”
Opening New Conversations
Of the 116 patients surveyed, 60% said they had not regularly discussed barriers to vaccination with their healthcare provider before participating in the study. The most cited barriers included knowing which vaccines were needed; paying for vaccinations; keeping track of vaccines and when they were due; concerns about side effects; and getting transportation to receive a vaccine.
After using the shared decision-making tool, 79% of patients in the study said they discussed their vaccination concerns more or much more than during previous visits.
“Clear information and good discussions about vaccines between patients and their care providers is critical to getting older adults vaccinated,” Archbald-Pannone said.
Findings Published
The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The research team consisted of Archbald-Pannone, Angie D. Settle, Leah Molloy, Laura Simone, Chris Napolitan, Jeffrey D. Carter, Jacqueline Maytorena and Kelly E. Pillinger.
The study was supported by biopharma company GSK LLC.
To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-02-13
PULLMAN, Wash. — College students who spent a little bit of free time each week interacting with therapy dogs on campus during their first semester experienced fewer signs of stress and depression than those who did not.
That’s according to the PAWs4US study, a new paper published in Pets that examined how regular, long-term access to an animal-assisted drop-in program at Washington State University influenced first-year students’ mental health.
The study found that students who engaged with therapy dogs in repeated, unstructured sessions over several months not only ...
2025-02-13
COLUMBUS, Ohio – How do you tell if someone has a particular accent? It might seem obvious: You hear someone pronounce words in a way that is different from “normal” and connect it to other people from a specific place.
But a new study suggests that might not be the case.
“People probably don’t learn who has an accent from hearing someone talk and thinking, ‘huh, they sound funny’ – even though sometimes it feels like that’s how we do it,” said Kathryn Campbell-Kibler, author of the study and associate professor of linguistics at The Ohio State University.
Accents may be ...
2025-02-13
When speaking of motors, most people think of those powering vehicles and human machinery. However, biological motors have existed for millions of years in microorganisms. Among these, many bacterial species have tail-like structures—called flagella—that spin around to propel themselves in fluids. These movements employ protein complexes known as the “flagellar motor.”
This flagellar motor consists of two main components: the rotor and the stators. The rotor is a large rotating structure, anchored to the cell membrane, that turns the flagellum. On the other hand, the stators are smaller ...
2025-02-13
Broca’s aphasia is caused by damage to the frontal lobe, leaves patients unable to say what they intend to say
First study to identify regions outside the frontal lobe that encode the intent to speak
Critical for technology to avoid decoding a patient’s thoughts that are not intended to be spoken aloud
CHICAGO --- Imagine seeing a furry, four-legged animal that meows. Mentally, you know what it is, but the word “cat” is stuck on the tip of your tongue.
This phenomenon, known as Broca’s aphasia or expressive aphasia, is a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to speak or ...
2025-02-13
In the past two years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved two novel Alzheimer’s therapies, based on data from clinical trials showing that both drugs slowed the progression of the disease. But while the approvals of lecanemab and donanemab, both antibody therapies that clear plaque-causing amyloid proteins from the brain, were greeted with enthusiasm by some Alzheimer’s researchers, the response of patients has been muted. According to physicians who care for people with Alzheimer’s, many patients found it difficult to understand what the clinical trials results — presented as “percent decrease in ...
2025-02-13
Jumping workouts could help astronauts prevent the type of cartilage damage they are likely to endure during lengthy missions to Mars and the Moon, a new Johns Hopkins University study suggests.
The research adds to ongoing efforts by space agencies to protect astronauts against deconditioning/getting out of shape due to low gravity, a crucial aspect of their ability to perform spacewalks, handle equipment and repairs, and carry out other physically demanding tasks.
The study, which shows knee cartilage in mice grew healthier following jumping exercises, appears ...
2025-02-13
A guardian molecule ensures that liver cells do not lose their identity. This has been discovered by researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Hector Institute für Translational Brain Research (HITBR), and from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). The discovery is of great interest for cancer medicine because a change of identity of cells has come into focus as a fundamental principle of carcinogenesis for several years. The Heidelberg researchers were able to show ...
2025-02-13
Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the power source.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, say their solar-powered reactor could be used to make fuel to power cars and planes, or the many chemicals and pharmaceuticals products we rely on. It could also be used to generate fuel in remote or off-grid locations.
Unlike most carbon capture technologies, the reactor developed by the Cambridge researchers does not require fossil-fuel-based power, or the transport and storage of carbon dioxide, but instead converts atmospheric CO2 into something useful using sunlight. ...
2025-02-13
Darwin’s theory of natural selection provides an explanation for why organisms develop traits that help them survive and reproduce.
Because of this, death is often seen as a failure rather than a process shaped by evolution.
When organisms die, their molecules need to be broken down for reuse by other living things.
Such recycling of nutrients is necessary for new life to grow.
Now a study led by Professor Martin Cann of ...
2025-02-13
Conversations about parental duties continue to be led by mothers, even if both parents earn the same amount of money, finds a new study by a UCL researcher.
A new study by Dr Clare Stovell (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society), published in the Journal of Family Studies, highlights how a lack of discussion between parents about important choices such as parental leave, work and childcare is perpetuating traditional gender roles.
The study found that women usually lead the conversations and there is little discussion about the man’s work schedule, even in cases where the woman earns as much or more than her partner.
Dr Stovell said: “These interviews ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Discussing barriers, concerns key for getting older adults vaccinated
Care provider recommendation, more information help boost vaccination rates
