Influenza vaccination in Europe: an inventory of strategies to reach target populations and optimise vaccination uptake.

A study was undertaken to assess influenza vaccine uptake in risk groups and to get insight into vaccination practices in European countries. Questionnaires were completed by national influenza experts from 26 countries. Only 14 were able to provide uptake rates for the elderly. For the other risk groups, even fewer could provide data. Vaccines are usually administrated by GPs. Financial incentives for physicians and patients might work as a strategy to increase uptake rates, but due to the small amount of data, it was not possible to carry out thorough multivariate analyses. The development of a uniform influenza vaccination monitoring method was recommended to allow for comparison of uptake data in Europe.