Minimising missed opportunities to promote and deliver immunization services to middle and older age adults: Can hospital-based programs be a solution?

BACKGROUND:There has been a recent recognized shift towards a whole-of-life or life-course approach to immunisation. However, coverage amongst at-risk adults for recommended vaccines continues to be suboptimal. This study examined the perceptions of middle and older aged Australian adults towards hospital-based immunization programs and their previous exposures to receiving vaccines via tertiary care. METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was conducted with Australian adults 45 years and older in late 2019 to capture influenza and pneumococcal vaccine uptake, exposure to hospital-based immunization programs, missed opportunities to vaccinate and receptiveness towards the promotion and/or delivery of vaccines in the hospital setting. RESULTS:Only 13 respondents reported receiving a vaccine at hospital, yet 72.2% (931/1292) indicated that they were willing to be vaccinated in that setting. Amongst those who attended hospital during 2019 and were eligible for vaccination, 57.2% and 28.3% of respondents were not immunized for pneumococcal and influenza, respectively. Missed opportunities for both vaccines were significantly higher amongst those at low-risk for influenza (≤65 years (low-risk): 52.9%, ≤65 years (high-risk): 18.3%, >65 years: 15.1%; p < 0.001) and pneumococcal (≤65 years (low-risk): 79.1%, ≤65 years (high-risk): 52.4%, >65 years: 44%; p < 0.001). Among those with a missed opportunity for hospital-based vaccination, the most common reason for not getting immunized was a lack of recommendation. Most (86.4%) reported that their general practitioner was the person or group they trusted most to receive vaccine information from. CONCLUSIONS:The findings from this Australian study support international work that shows very low rates of opportunistic vaccination in hospitals despite national recommendations to vaccinate prior to discharge. Considering the need for high levels of uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine, hospitals may need to be considered to opportunistically capture those not accessing the vaccine in other settings.