Findings on Rheumatoid Arthritis Detailed by Investigators at Northwestern University (Understanding Vaccination Rates and Attitudes Among Patients…

Findings on Rheumatoid Arthritis Detailed by Investigators at Northwestern University (Understanding Vaccination Rates and Attitudes Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- New research on Autoimmune Diseases and Disorders is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Chicago, Illinois, by VerticalNews correspondents, research stated, "Appropriate vaccinations are important for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who are often treated with highly immunosuppressive therapies that increase their risk of infection. However, rates of vaccination among patients with RA are below optimal levels."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from Northwestern University, "We conducted a patient survey to assess self-reported vaccination status and to compare that status with electronic health record (EHR) data. We recruited randomly selected patients with RA in an academic practice in 2013. Eligible participants had a diagnosis of RA, at least 1 visit to a rheumatology clinic in each of the previous 2 years, were 18 years or older, and had English listed as their preferred language. The survey included the following domains: a) patient self-reported receipt of influenza, pneumococcal (PNVX), and herpes zoster (HZVX) vaccinations; b) attitudes about these vaccines, including reasons for unvaccinated status, if applicable; and c) provider recommendations about these vaccines. Based on participants' self-report, we found a high vaccination rate for influenza during the previous season (79.4%), a moderate rate of any previous vaccination for pneumococcus (53.9%), and a very low rate of any previous vaccination for herpes zoster (7.8%). If we assume that all self-reports are accurate and we include vaccinations recorded in the EHR that were not reported by patients, the vaccination rates were approximately 8% to 9% higher for PNVX and HZVX. Vaccination rates are low among patients with RA based on self-report data."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Further research is needed to investigate system-level barriers to vaccination and the impact of evidence-based, provider-level interventions on vaccination rates."

For more information on this research see: Understanding Vaccination Rates and Attitudes Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis. American Journal of Managed Care, 2016;22(3):E161-E167. American Journal of Managed Care can be contacted at: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting D.S. Sandler, Northwestern University, Div Gen Internal Med & Geriatr, Feinberg Sch Med, Chicago, IL 60611, United States. Additional authors for this research include E.M. Ruderman, T. Brown, J.Y. Lee, A. Mixon, D.T. Liss and D.W. Baker.

Keywords for this news article include: Chicago, Illinois, United States, North and Central America, Autoimmune Diseases and Disorders, Musculoskeletal Diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Biological Products, Influenza Vaccines, Viral Vaccines, Joint Diseases, Immunization, Vaccination, Northwestern University.

Our reports deliver fact-based news of research and discoveries from around the world. Copyright 2016, NewsRx LLC