[Influenza vaccination rates of patients with statutory ambulatory medical care in protective facilities and in nursing and special care homes].

BACKGROUND

Vaccination is one of the most important and effective preventive measures against seasonal influenza. The German Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends influenza vaccination for specific groups of patients, including those in protective facilities and nursing or special care homes ("bPA-facilities"). The defined aim of the European Commission (EC) is vaccination coverage of 75% or higher among the elderly. In Germany, vaccination rates in bPA-facilities are currently based on surveys in limited samples of patients.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study is to gain better insight into nationwide influenza vaccination rates. Specifically, we aim to identify influenza vaccination coverage of patients with ambulatory medical care in bPA-facilities.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The present analysis is a descriptive analysis of Germany's billing data of all ambulatory statutory health insurance physicians (ASHIP) for six study cohorts from 2010 to 2016.

RESULTS

On average, 58.5% of patients in bPA-facilities received an influenza vaccination between 2010 (60.3%) and 2016 (56.6%), with strong differences between different ASHIP billing areas (up to 20 percentage points(pp)) and patients who consulted a general practitioner (up to 35 pp).

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide initial insights into vaccination coverage in bPA-facilities and show associations between the structural differences in care setting and the use of influenza vaccines. Furthermore, they can help to identify groups with low influenza vaccination rates and complement existing data thereby assisting health policy in increasing vaccination coverage. The present study group has not yet reached the EC goal of 75% influenza vaccination coverage.