2019 Volume 65 Issue 1 Pages 92-94
Objective: It has been reported that vaccination rates with pneumococcal vaccine are low in elderly persons in Japan. The primary aim of this study was to examine whether introduction of a vaccination status checkbox in electronic medical records increased the vaccination rates.
Materials and Methods: Subjects were inpatients and outpatients of the Department of General Medicine at Juntendo University Hospital between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2018. The vaccination rates of individuals ≥65 years old were calculated based on a checkbox in the electronic medical records.
Results: A total of 30,580 people ≥65 years of age were evaluated. The vaccination rate (19.5%) for individuals ≥65 years old after introducing a regular vaccination schedule was significantly higher than the vaccination rate (8.4%) before introducing the schedule (p<0.01).
Conclusions: With the introduction of a regular vaccination schedule for the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination targeting elderly individuals since October 2014 in Japan, the vaccination rate was shown to be improved by the introduction of a checkbox to indicate a patient’s vaccination status in the electronic medical records. Vaccination rates with pneumococcal vaccine in elderly persons might be a good quality indicator for primary care physicians.
