Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Abstract

An Early Report on a Local Project about Primary Health Care to Improve the Communication and the Compliance in the Elderly for Vaccine Campaigns against Influenza

Filippo de Nicolellis

The article is an early report on a cultural project, focused on developing e-communication and other tools in a rural area of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. The Medical Association “CROCE MEDICA” is making all efforts in Primary Health Care to increase the rate of people vaccinated against influenza .

The Association is promoting the use of posters in family doctor’s offices as well as of e-mails to communicate the patients dates and procedures for the vaccination against influenza. Furthermore the Association e-mails its registered doctors a dispatch about influenza as well as a request for information about the illness seasonal evolution in the various areas of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Unfortunately the feedback has been scarce up to now.

It is difficult to state if the better information provided about free vaccination for some categories of patients and its importance as well as about the dates of vaccination sessions is increasing the rate of people involved in the vaccination campaign. As a matter of fact there has been a decrease in the percentage of vaccinated people in the investigated area in the last year, a decrease due to several factors. Nevertheless I believe all efforts aiming at improving the communication with patients and explaining how to obtain the vaccination against influenza are useful in any case.