Survey tracks effects of COVID-19 on delayed medical care

Those who had received a bivalent recall chose a median of five reasons, the most common being

• to protect themselves (90.7%),
• to prevent serious illnesses (80.6%) and
• to protect others (75.0%).

Most people who did not receive a bivalent booster chose a single reason for not receiving it. Of those who did not receive a reminder

• 23.2% did not know they were eligible,
• 19.8% did not know it was available and
• 18.9% thought they were already protected.

The reasons for not receiving a reminder varied slightly by age. The most common reason among people aged 18-59 was not knowing they were eligible, while the most common reason for older participants was thinking they still had strong protection against infection, followed by concern about side effects and uncertainty about effectiveness.

Participants who had not received a bivalent booster were then viewed information on eligibility and availability, and then asked if they planned to receive a booster. Almost 68% answered yes.

In a follow-up survey a month later, however, only about 28% of those respondents had received a bivalent booster. The most common reasons for those who didn’t were that they were too busy (35.6%) or that they forgot or were concerned about side effects (both 22.7%). .

The researchers called for more outreach, such as referrals from a clinician or other trusted messenger, to increase awareness of eligibility and availability.

“To help increase coverage of bivalent booster doses,” they wrote, “health and public health professionals should use evidence-based strategies to communicate information about booster vaccination recommendations and waning immunity, while striving to improve convenient access”.

Advice from an expert family doctor

Temte, who also serves as the AAFP’s liaison to the CDC’s Immunization Practices Advisory Committee COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force, said he still recommends the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. Standards for Adult Immunization Practice as an evidence-based approach to providing the best patient care. This includes

1. assess the immunization status of all patients at every clinical encounter, staying informed of the latest CDC recommendations and ensuring that patients’ vaccine needs are regularly reviewed and that they receive reminders about necessary vaccines;
2. strongly recommend vaccinations needed by sharing patient-appropriate reasons, highlighting positive vaccination experiences, addressing questions and concerns, explaining the risks of not being vaccinated, and reminding patients that vaccines protect them and their loved ones , against several common and potentially serious illnesses;
3. administer or refer for necessary vaccines; and
4. document all vaccines that patients receive, including with the state immunization registry.

For COVID-19, Temte added that family doctors should make sure vaccines are available in their clinics or know where patients can get them. He also recommended bookmarking the CDC Clinical and professional resources on vaccination against COVID-19.

The AAFP also offers its members resources to help increase immunization rates, including a video series on the management of vaccine-hesitant patients and CME activities on improve confidence in vaccines and increased vaccination rates in African American communities.

Several members of the Academy have also best practices shared to increase immunization rate using the AAFP Office Champions Quality Improvement Model.

Additionally, the Academy Immunizations and Vaccines Web Page contains several tools to help members discuss the importance of vaccinations and counter vaccine-related misinformation and disinformation, including a COVID-19 vaccine conversation guide.