Abstract
BACKGROUND: The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is recommended for elders, especially those with chronic conditions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine if an additional multi-component health education intervention increases the uptake rate of the pneumococcal vaccination among older patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted from 3 December 2007 to 7 March 2008. The clusters were the individual weeks within five Hong Kong outpatient clinics over a 10-week period. A sample of 2517 patients aged 65 or above with chronic diseases was recruited. Intervention group received a 3-min brief telephone education intervention before and a 3-min face-to-face intervention during scheduled medical appointments at the respective clinics. All subjects received standard care including health education leaflets and/or a video show at the clinics. Pneumococcal vaccination rate and awareness of the vaccination at 3-month follow up were measured. RESULTS: The vaccination rate was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (57% vs 48%; relative risk=1.20, 95% CI=1.06-1.37), but the two groups did not differ significantly in their awareness of the vaccination at 3-month follow up (65% vs 59%, relative risk=0.86, 95% CI=0.69-1.07). DISCUSSION: A nurse-delivered brief health education intervention was effective in increasing uptake of pneumococcal vaccination among older patients with chronic diseases.