Improving Annual Influenza Vaccination Through Patient Education

Jorgensen, Benjamin

Item

Improving Annual Influenza Vaccination Through Patient Education

Jorgensen, Benjamin

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Abstract

Influenza, commonly called the flu, is a seasonal respiratory virus which circulates each year and causes mild to severe illness which can lead to hospitalization and even death. Despite the advent of the flu vaccine during the Second World War, flu-related illness is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States. Each year the severity of flu in the United States is affected by many factors including characteristics of the circulating virus, timing of the season, how well the vaccine matches the season’s active strains of virus, and vaccination rates. The annual vaccination rates remain low despite public awareness of the illness and the vaccine. Therefore, educational material is a necessary step toward supplying patients with information regarding the need for, effectiveness, safety, and availability of influenza vaccines.