Vaccination rates are low among at-risk adults in the U.S., research shows

Vaccination rates are low among at-risk adults in the U.S., research shows

Less than 70% of adults at the highest risk for influenza — or complications from influenza — were vaccinated as of 2009, according to the RAND Corporation.

Nursing home residents with compromised immune systems are routinely vaccinated for the flu, yet associations that represent nursing homes have stopped short of endorsing the idea of mandatory flu vaccinations for employees.

To boost voluntary vaccination rates for influenza and other preventable diseases such as shingles, hepatitis A and B and pertussis, RAND experts had several recommendations. They encouraged employers to help physicians assess the needs for adult vaccinations; facilitate performance-based payments to providers that provide vaccinations; or formalize a protocol for referring patients for vaccination to outside provider offices.

Click here to read the research brief.