Flu vaccination in primary care: analysis of the process and proposals for increasing coverage

Flu vaccination (FV) in elderly patients at risk is linked to a 50%-60% reduction in hospital admissions and up to an 80% drop in deaths from complications arising from the illness. Equally clear benefits have been found for other risk groups, such as patients with chronic cardiovascular or respiratory diseases. The vaccine is cost-effective for both the elderly and other risk groups. Despite this, vaccination rates are low, even among health staff. To update our knowledge of FV by means of a review of the bibliography and to describe a series of interventions that have proved successful in increasing vaccination rates. PROGRAMME: To discover procedures, the following factors were analysed: the environment, patients and health professionals that condition vaccination, the characteristics of the health-care organisation for the vaccination campaign, and the clinical organisation of risk groups required. After this analysis, certain communicated strategies that manage to increase vaccination coverage and others that could be introduced into primary care were discussed. We conclude that, given the clinical evidence available and the ease of introducing certain other interventions, improvement of flu vaccination procedures and increased vaccine coverage of patients at risk is not only advisable, but is an ethical imperative. Improvements that are within the possibilities of every primary care clinic could be introduced.