Make a difference by being a vaccine insister

When a patient is diagnosed with a chronic disease, like diabetes or hypertension, physicians don’t merely suggest medications to lower blood sugar or blood pressure – they insist that patients take medications to protect their health. However, the recommendation to get an annual influenza (flu) shot to prevent flu is often not as emphatic. Research has shown that patients are much more likely to get a flu shot when it is offered or recommended by a health care professional. National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW), an annual event created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a great time for health care professionals to highlight the importance of annual flu vaccination for everyone age six months and older. Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone has gotten the message about flu vaccines and many vulnerable individuals remain unprotected. NIVW also reminds health care professionals to strongly recommend flu shots to their patients, especially those at high risk, including adults age 65 years and older. The flu can be serious for everyone, but for adults age 65 years and older, flu doesn’t just mean a few days at home in bed — it could mean a hospital stay, life-long complications, and in some cases, even death. In the U.S., older adults account for more than half of all flu-related hospitalizations and 85 percent of flu-related deaths. Despite the risks, vaccination rates among older adults have remained stagnant for the past five year...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Infectious Disease Primary Care Source Type: blogs