Over 1.4 million nursing home residents were not up to date on pneumococcal vaccinations, a study published Feb. 25 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found.
Researchers analyzed data from CMS-certified skilled nursing facilities from Oct. 1, 2014, through Sept. 22, 2018, which was linked to Medicare Part B carrier claims to corroborate pneumococcal vaccination up-to-date status with vaccination claims.
Four findings:
- Of the 1,459,814 residents recorded not up to date, 78.2 percent had no Part B claims for the vaccination before or in the nursing homes.
- The majority of those not up to date, 71.5 percent, were reported to have refused the vaccine when offered.
- Only 1.3 percent subsequently received the vaccine within 99 days after nursing home admission.
- An adjusted analysis showed residents less likely to receive the pneumococcal vaccine included residents who lived in a for-profit facility, those who weremale, Black , of Hispanic ethnicity, those who had diabetes, long-stay residents and those who had not received the influenza vaccine.