Assessment of Perceived Barriers to Herpes Zoster Vaccination among Geriatric Primary Care Providers
1
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
2
Department of Pharmaceutical Care and Health Systems, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Yvonne Perrie
Pharmacy 2016, 4(4), 30; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4040030
Received: 2 July 2016
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Revised: 21 September 2016
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Accepted: 15 October 2016
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Published: 18 October 2016
The herpes zoster vaccine is recommended for use in adults 60 years of age and older to reduce the incidence and morbidity associated with infection. Its limited uptake has been attributed to logistical barriers, but uncertain efficacy and safety in subsets of this patient population could also be contributing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current vaccination practices, barriers to vaccination, knowledge of vaccination reimbursement and strategies to evaluate for insurance coverage among an urban, safety net, teaching hospital, geriatric primary care provider group through a survey administered via paper and online platforms. Survey participants (n = 10) reported lack of availability of the vaccine in their practice settings (6/10), with half of providers (5/10) referring patients to outside pharmacies or to other practice settings (2/10) for vaccine administration. Reimbursement issues and storage requirements were perceived as major barriers by 40% (4/10) of providers, whereas 80% (8/10) of providers reported that concerns about safety and effectiveness of the vaccine were not major barriers to vaccination. Logistical barriers, rather than concerns about safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, were reported as major barriers to vaccination by a significant portion of providers. Lack of availability and reimbursement problems for practice sites allow for gaps in care. Partnership with community and long-term care pharmacies could serve as a possible solution.
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Keywords:
barriers; Herpes zoster; immunization; long-term care; vaccination
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MDPI and ACS Style
Montag Schafer, K.; Reidt, S. Assessment of Perceived Barriers to Herpes Zoster Vaccination among Geriatric Primary Care Providers. Pharmacy 2016, 4, 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4040030
AMA Style
Montag Schafer K, Reidt S. Assessment of Perceived Barriers to Herpes Zoster Vaccination among Geriatric Primary Care Providers. Pharmacy. 2016; 4(4):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4040030
Chicago/Turabian StyleMontag Schafer, Katherine, and Shannon Reidt. 2016. "Assessment of Perceived Barriers to Herpes Zoster Vaccination among Geriatric Primary Care Providers" Pharmacy 4, no. 4: 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy4040030
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