BACKGROUND: Alberta doctors can request supplies of publicly funded influenza vaccine to administer to patients who meet provincial program criteria. PURPOSE: To describe the proportions of Alberta family doctors who vaccinate patients, the sources from which they obtain vaccine and their evaluation of public health influenza vaccination program components. METHODS: Cross-sectional postal survey, 2003. Doctors were asked to complete a nine-page questionnaire or to answer a one-page "mini-survey". The proportion of physicians who vaccinated patients against influenza was estimated separately for the main questionnaire and the mini-survey. Frequencies and cross-tabulations were used to examine sources of vaccine supply and physician ratings of five aspects of influenza vaccine program services provided by Regional Health Authorities (RHA). RESULTS: The survey response rate was 52.3% (1387/2650); an additional 14% (372) returned a mini-survey. The proportion of respondents who vaccinated one or more patients against influenza in the fall of 2002 was 81.5% for the main questionnaire and 83.1% for the mini-survey. Vaccine was most commonly obtained from the RHA. Three items were rated as poor/fair by more than 10% of respondents: provision of information for distribution to patients (37%), timeliness of vaccine delivery to offices (16%) and vaccine availability over the entire influenza season (18%). Item ratings varied by RHA but provision of information for distribution to patients was consistently a problem. CONCLUSION: A high priority should be placed on improving resources for doctors to give to patients, timeliness of vaccine deliveries to doctors' offices and vaccine availability over the entire season.
BACKGROUND: Alberta doctors can request supplies of publicly funded influenza vaccine to administer to patients who meet provincial program criteria. PURPOSE: To describe the proportions of Alberta family doctors who vaccinate patients, the sources from which they obtain vaccine and their evaluation of public health influenza vaccination program components. METHODS: Cross-sectional postal survey, 2003. Doctors were asked to complete a nine-page questionnaire or to answer a one-page "mini-survey". The proportion of physicians who vaccinated patients against influenza was estimated separately for the main questionnaire and the mini-survey. Frequencies and cross-tabulations were used to examine sources of vaccine supply and physician ratings of five aspects of influenza vaccine program services provided by Regional Health Authorities (RHA). RESULTS: The survey response rate was 52.3% (1387/2650); an additional 14% (372) returned a mini-survey. The proportion of respondents who vaccinated one or more patients against influenza in the fall of 2002 was 81.5% for the main questionnaire and 83.1% for the mini-survey. Vaccine was most commonly obtained from the RHA. Three items were rated as poor/fair by more than 10% of respondents: provision of information for distribution to patients (37%), timeliness of vaccine delivery to offices (16%) and vaccine availability over the entire influenza season (18%). Item ratings varied by RHA but provision of information for distribution to patients was consistently a problem. CONCLUSION: A high priority should be placed on improving resources for doctors to give to patients, timeliness of vaccine deliveries to doctors' offices and vaccine availability over the entire season.
Authors: John Omura; Jane Buxton; Janusz Kaczorowski; Jason Catterson; Jane Li; Andrea Derban; Paul Hasselback; Shelagh Machin; Michelle Linekin; Tamsin Morgana; Barra O'Briain; David Scheifele; Meena Dawar Journal: Can Fam Physician Date: 2014-03 Impact factor: 3.275