Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Invasive pneumococcal disease is the most severe form of pneumococcal disease, with a high incidence rate that is associated with age and the existence of risk factors. The Residential Care Units (RCU) of the Community of Madrid have been designed with the primary objective of improving the quality and safety of care for institutionalised patients. The aim of the study was to describe pneumococcal vaccination coverage and administration periods in institutionalised patients, as well as to analyse the possible association of different variables with vaccination status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted on institutionalised patients with an indicated vaccination who were in active status in their electronic health records as of May 2024. The study variables were age, sex, type of centre, Barthel Index, comorbidities, number of pneumococcal vaccine doses, and date of vaccination. A logistic regression model was used to assess the association of the variables age, sex, and Barthel Index with vaccination status. RESULTS: The total number of patients in the study population was 40,660. A total of 32,436 doses of pneumococcal vaccine were administered. Pneumococcal vaccination coverage was found to be 81.10% in centres for the elderly and 71.36% in centres for the disabled. Sex-adjusted variables associated with vaccination were age (OR:1.30; 95% CI: 1.12-1.50) in patients with older age and Barthel Index (OR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.68-2.08) in patients with total dependency. CONCLUSIONS: The establishment of the RCUs has improved vaccination coverage. Moreover, adequate vaccination is associated with older age and a higher level of dependency. Strategies must be implemented to increase vaccination rates among both institutionalised patients and adults in the general population.