Emergency rooms may be a good place to give flu shots

TUESDAY, March 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — New research offers a simple way for people to roll up their sleeves and get a flu shot.

Just ask them to do so.

Then reinforce the invitation with a short video and printed encouragement.

“Our study adds to the growing body of knowledge indicating that some important public health interventions can and should be delivered to populations underserved by emergency departments,” said first author Robert Rodrigo, professor of emergency medicine at UC San Jose. Dr. Si said. Francisco.

The new study, published March 26 in the journal NEJM Evidence, found that vaccine uptake increased by 41% after study participants were asked about the flu shot, received an information leaflet and watched a three-minute video. In the video, a doctor from a similar ethnic group talks about the vaccine and its benefits.

Vaccination rates increased by 32% among participants who were asked about their interest in the vaccine and told that their health care provider would be notified.

“This study grew out of our desire to address the health disparities we see every day in emergency rooms, particularly among homeless, uninsured and immigrant populations,” Rodriguez said in a UCSF press release. health disparities.”

The clinical trial spans one influenza season, from October 2022 to February 2023. It includes nearly 800 patients from five cities: San Francisco, Houston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Durham, North Carolina.

Their demographic makeup is similar to those often served by urban emergency departments: more than half are black or Latino patients; 16% are uninsured; nearly one-third have no primary care; 9% are homeless or live in “very “Rudimentary” housing.

The researchers used this group to evaluate their messages about the vaccine, which included a short video, a booklet and a scripted question from a health care provider: “Would you be willing to receive the flu vaccine?”

“Taken together, our study adds to the growing body of knowledge indicating that many important public health interventions can and should be delivered to populations underserved by emergency departments,” Rodriguez said.

Previously, he studied the effectiveness of similar strategies on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more information about the flu vaccine.

Source: University of California, San Francisco, press release, March 26, 2024