Immunisation status screening in the emergency department: Why are we forgetting the elderly?

Pneumonia is one of the most common reasons patients over the age of 65 years present to the Emergency Department (ED). There is a 23-valent pneumococcal vaccine (23vPPV) available under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) with demonstrated 61 –71% effectiveness against Invasive Pneumococcal Disease (IPD), but only 51% of adults aged over 65 years are vaccinated in Australia.
Source: Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Research paper Source Type: research