Abstract
BACKGROUND: Principal aims of this study were to evaluate, in frail immunocompromised patients, the willingness to receive the herpes zoster (HZ) vaccination and the impact of the in-hospital vaccination dedicated clinic on HZ vaccination adherence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A non-randomized quasi-experimental intervention study was conducted in Southern Italy among immunocompromised patients. Patients enrolled in the in-hospital vaccination dedicated clinic were included in the experimental group, while the control group consisted of patients recruited in the General Practitioners clinics. RESULTS: From April 2024 to March 2025, 369 patients were recruited, 183 of whom were included in the experimental group and 186 in the control group, The willingness to receive HZ vaccination was declared by 46.3% of subjects, and among those, 28.5% underwent vaccination. Logistic regression results showed that participants in the experimental group were significantly more likely to both declare willingness to receive vaccination (OR = 6.32; 95% CI 3.05-13.10) and to adhere to HZ vaccination (OR = 64.63; 95% CI 14.78-282.62). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have shown that both willingness and adherence to HZ vaccination in immunocompromised subjects remain inadequate with respect to international targets and provide an effective model of integration between different professionals capable of promoting greater accessibility and adherence to HZ vaccination.