title: Sensitivity and specificity of patient self-report of influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations among elderly outpatients in diverse patient care strata.
abstract: National surveys of adult vaccination indicate moderate self-reported immunization rates in the US, with limited validity data. We compared self-report with medical record abstraction for 820 persons aged > or =66 years from inner-city health centers, Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinics, rural and suburban practices. For influenza vaccine, sensitivity was 98% (95% CI: 96-99%); specificity was 38% (95% CI: 33-43%). For pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, sensitivity was 85% (95% CI: 82-89%) and specificity was 46% (95% CI: 42-50%). The VA had the highest sensitivity and lowest specificity for both vaccines while the converse was true in inner-city centers. High negative predictive values indicate that clinicians can confidently vaccinate based on negative patient self-report.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3518 Fifth Avenue, PA 15261, USA. zimmer@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Richard Kent
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Mahlon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raymund
authors.forename: Janine E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Janosky
authors.forename: Mary Patricia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Nowalk
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fine
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D005791:Patient Care; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines