December 15, 2021
People without a primary care provider (PCP) are less likely to receive an annual flu shot than those with a regular PCP, according to research presented at the ASHP virtual 2021 Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition (eposter 3719).
Although influenza vaccination is relatively low among both groups—44.5% among individuals with a PCP and 20.5% among those without—it is almost twice as low among those without a PCP than those with one.
“For those who answered yes to having access to a regular health care provider, 44.5% of them received the influenza vaccine, in comparison to those who answered no to the same question. Their rate of vaccination was 20.5%,” said Sinmileoluwa Okegbile, a PharmD candidate at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz., and researcher on the study, who called the results disappointing.
Read more at Infectious Disease Special Edition.