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Video on pneumococcal vaccination increases immunization rates
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Patients who viewed at least a portion of a 2-minute video on pneumococcal vaccination before a primary care visit were three times more likely to receive the vaccine compared with patients who did not view the video, according to data presented at the Society of General Internal Medicine annual conference.
“This approach demonstrates a new way for patients to receive effective, efficient education about preventive care,” Kenzie A. Cameron, PhD, MPH, principal investigator and research associate professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a press release.
Kenzie A. Cameron
Approximately 60% of adult patients aged 65 years and older in the United States receive the recommended vaccination to prevent pneumococcal disease, which is responsible for 18,000 deaths annually among this population, the release said. Cameron and colleagues partly attributed the low immunization rate to the lack of time and resources PCPs have to educate patients during office visits, as well as the fact that many patients may have limited awareness regarding their need for the vaccination.
To overcome this barrier, the researchers designed a 2-minute video highlighting the importance of the vaccination. A link to the video was sent through the electronic health care record system at an academic, internal medicine clinic to patients newly eligible for the vaccine. The message, which came from patients’ PCPs, was sent 1 week before their scheduled primary care visit. It informed them that they were due for the vaccine and requested that they watch the video before their appointment. Those who did not click the hyperlink within 4 days were sent a reminder message.
Between April to November 2015, an initial email was sent to 116 patients, the majority of whom (74.1%) opened the message within 4 days. Nearly 90% viewed at least a portion of the video, and 64.4% watched the entire video. Those who viewed at least a portion were three times more likely to receive the vaccine (OR = 2.97; P = .03) vs. those who did not.
In the release, Cameron stressed the importance of delivering the messages to patients before their primary care visits to avoid situations in which a patient has a preconceived notion about vaccines and refuses immunization.
“Once patients refuse the shot, health care providers are put in the position of changing someone’s response as opposed to shaping an initial response,” Cameron said. “It’s much more difficult.”
The researchers noted that a disadvantage of using the electronic health care record system to deliver the messages is that patients who are not registered with a patient portal or who are unable to navigate the messages are excluded from exposure. They plan to further test how effective the messages are in improving vaccination rates during a randomized controlled trial, according to the release.
Reference:
Cameron KA, et al. Delivering Video Patient Education through the Patient Portal Ahead of a Scheduled Clinic Visit. Presented at: Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Conference. May 11-14, 2016; Hollywood, Fla.
Disclosure: The study was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.