Prevalence and predictors of influenza vaccination in long-term care homes: a cross-national retrospective observational study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare facility-level influenza vaccination rates in long-term care (LTC) homes from four countries and to identify factors associated with influenza vaccination among residents.Design and settingRetrospective cross-sectional study of individuals residing in LTC homes in New Brunswick (Canada), New Zealand, Switzerland, and the Netherlands between 2017 and 2020.ParticipantsLTC home residents assessed with interRAI assessment system instruments as part of routine practice in New Brunswick (n=7006) and New Zealand (n=34 518), and national pilot studies in Switzerland (n=2760) and the Netherlands (n=1508). End-of-life residents were excluded from all country cohorts.OutcomesInfluenza vaccination within the past year.ResultsInfluenza vaccination rates among LTC home residents were highest in New Brunswick (84.9%) and lowest in Switzerland (63.5%). For all jurisdictions where facility-level data were available, substantial interfacility variance was observed. There was approximately a fourfold difference in the coefficient of variation for facility-level vaccination rates with the highest in Switzerland at 37.8 and lowest in New Brunswick at 9.7. Resident-level factors associated with vaccine receipt included older age, severe cognitive impairment, medical instability, health conditions affecting a greater number of organ systems and social engagement. Residents who displayed aggressive behaviours and smoke tobacco were less likely to be vaccinated.ConclusionThere are opportunities to increase influenza vaccine uptake at both overall country and individual facility levels. Enhanced vaccine administration monitoring programmes in LTC homes that leverage interRAI assessment systems should be widely adopted.

Influenza vaccination uptake among at‐risk patients in Switzerland—The potential of national claims data for surveillance

“…38 Twice as high VURs are reported in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, 39 and VUR in Swiss nursing homes was up to 63%. 40 At the international level, our findings are similar to VUR reported in Germany or Italy. [41][42][43]…”

The Implementation of Integrated Health Information Systems – Research Studies from 7 Countries Involving the InterRAI Assessment System

“…The use of the assessments enables quality monitoring and can inform decisions about eligibility criteria for access to services. This supports prioritisation of services based on identified needs, targeting priority groups or groups that are at higher relative risk of adverse outcomes [55][56][57][58][59][60][61].…”

“…In 2021, home care data was linked to hospitalisation databases and population registries to explore the potential for illustrating care trajectories to inform policy [42]. Next, to raise awareness pertaining to data-driven quality issues and to illustrate the potential of structured clinical routine data, Switzerland participated in an international benchmark that was shared with clinical and political decision makers [43].…”

Characteristics and factors of repeated influenza vaccination among elderly individuals in Shanghai, China from 2020 to 2022

“… 8 Several studies have confirmed that factors such as age, medical stability, health status, social interaction, cognitive decline, and smoking can influence elderly individuals’ decisions to receive influenza vaccination. 9 Additionally, factors such as education level, place of residence, confidence in vaccine safety, perception of disease risk, and awareness of the importance of influenza vaccination impact vaccine hesitancy in elderly individuals. 10 The benefits of seasonal influenza vaccination are short-term, as vaccine effectiveness is limited to the upcoming epidemic season, thus it is necessary to evaluate cost, vaccine safety, and effectiveness annually.…”