To examine how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced influenza vaccination rates, healthcare engagement, and patient satisfaction among adult primary care patients from January 2017 to December 2023.
Key Findings:
7.0% of Prepandemic always vaccinated (AV) patients (n=3556) and 48.7% of Prepandemic intermittently vaccinated (IV) patients (n=16710) did not receive another influenza vaccine during the Pandemic-Plus phase.
IV and never vaccinated (NV) patients were more likely to reside in socioeconomically deprived areas and report healthcare disengagement, with odds ratios of 1.58 and 1.99 respectively.
Healthcare disengagement increased among NV patients compared to AV patients between phases, with a significant increase noted.
Patients with severe comorbidities were less likely to be AV and reported lower satisfaction with care, with specific statistical results provided.
Interpretation:
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered vaccination behaviors and patient satisfaction, particularly among high-risk groups such as those with severe comorbidities, indicating a need for targeted interventions to address vaccine refusal.
Limitations:
The study is limited to a specific geographic area, which may affect generalizability to other regions.
Retrospective design may introduce biases in data collection and interpretation, particularly regarding self-reported measures.
Conclusion:
Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vaccination behaviors is crucial for informing future public health strategies and improving patient engagement, particularly among high-risk populations.
Invited narrative review supports early, interprofessional rehabilitation across the ICU recovery continuum while emphasizing heterogeneous evidence and inconsistent implementation worldwide.
