Reminder Systems and Strategies for Increasing Adult Vaccination Rates

An important component of an immunization provider practice is ensuring that the vaccines reach all adults who need them. While attention to appropriate administration of vaccinations is essential, it cannot be assumed that these vaccinations are being given to every eligible person at the recommended age.

Specific concerns about U.S. immunization levels and areas for further study include the following:

  • Immunization rates among adults are considerably lower than those for children.
  • Economic and racial disparities exist.
  • Rates of influenza immunization are also low among some healthcare providers, an important target population for vaccination.
  • Improvements in adult immunization rates have tapered off.

This page offers many resources and publications describing the need for increasing adult immunization levels and outlines strategies that providers can adopt to increase coverage in their own practice.

 

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services

  • The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community. Systematic reviews are used to answer these questions:
    • Which program and policy interventions have been proven effective?
    • Are there effective interventions that are right for my community?
    • What might effective interventions cost; what is the likely return on investment?

Learn more about The Community Guide, collaborators involved in its development and dissemination, and methods used to conduct the systematic reviews and overall vaccination strategies.

 

Task Force Recommendations and Findings

This table lists interventions reviewed by the Community Guide, with a summary of the Task Force finding (definitions of findings). Click on an underlined intervention title for a summary of the review.

 

Enhancing Access to Vaccination Services

 

Increasing Community Demand for Vaccinations

 

Provider- or System-Based Interventions

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CDC Sources

 

External Sources

 

Publications/Articles

Cost-effectiveness needs more research. More research is needed regarding which strategies increase immunization levels with the least expenditure so these strategies can be prioritized.

Sustainable systems for vaccinating adults must be developed. High immunization rates cannot rest upon one-time or short-term efforts. Greater understanding of strategies to increase and sustain immunization levels is necessary in order to create lasting, effective immunization delivery systems.

A few of the articles published on this topic are listed below.

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