Taona P Haderlein1, W Neil Steers1, Aram Dobalian1. 1. Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), North Hills, California (Haderlein, Steers, Dobalian); Health Services Research and Development Center for the Study of Health Care Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los Angeles (Haderlein, Steers); Division of Health Systems Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis (Dobalian).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between serious mental illness diagnoses and COVID-19 vaccination among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. METHODS: The sample (N=4,890,693) comprised veterans ages ≥18 years with VHA outpatient visits from March 1, 2018, through February 29, 2020. Veterans with serious mental illness were identified with ICD-10 diagnostic codes from electronic health records of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Receipt of a VHA COVID-19 vaccine from December 1, 2020, through June 1, 2021, was documented by using procedure codes. Treatment effects estimation with inverse-probability weighting was used to estimate the effects of serious mental illness on COVID-19 vaccine uptake. RESULTS: Patients with serious mental illness and patients without serious mental illness were equally likely to receive a vaccination (48% and 46%, respectively; average effect of serious mental illness=-0.4%, 95% confidence interval=-0.8% to 0.1%). CONCLUSIONS: VHA outreach activities have contributed to equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between serious mental illness diagnoses and COVID-19 vaccination among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients. METHODS: The sample (N=4,890,693) comprised veterans ages ≥18 years with VHA outpatient visits from March 1, 2018, through February 29, 2020. Veterans with serious mental illness were identified with ICD-10 diagnostic codes from electronic health records of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Receipt of a VHA COVID-19 vaccine from December 1, 2020, through June 1, 2021, was documented by using procedure codes. Treatment effects estimation with inverse-probability weighting was used to estimate the effects of serious mental illness on COVID-19 vaccine uptake. RESULTS: Patients with serious mental illness and patients without serious mental illness were equally likely to receive a vaccination (48% and 46%, respectively; average effect of serious mental illness=-0.4%, 95% confidence interval=-0.8% to 0.1%). CONCLUSIONS: VHA outreach activities have contributed to equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Authors: Anders Chen; Lauren A Beste; Kristen Strack; John Geyer; Chelle Wheat; Karin Nelson; Ashok Reddy Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2022-08-15 Impact factor: 6.473