Cocooning: influenza vaccine for parents and caregivers in an urban, pediatric medical home.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the acceptance of influenza vaccination by caregivers of children at risk for complications of influenza, if their annual vaccination could be administered by their child's pediatric caregivers during their child's office visit.


RESULTS
During the 2008-2009 influenza season, 474 caregivers were approached, and 336 (70.9%) agreed to participate; 44 were excluded because they had already received their seasonal influenza vaccination, leaving 292 participants. Most were female (80.8%), the child's mother (68.5%), and African American (58.6%). In all, 250 of the 292 participants agreed to receive the influenza vaccine in the pediatrician's office. There were no clinically relevant demographic differences between those who received the vaccine and those who did not. The change in vaccination rate for the group of participants from the previous year was significant (23.7% to 85.6%; P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Caregivers of at-risk pediatric patients are accepting of influenza vaccination from pediatric practitioners while attending their child's pediatric clinic visit.
Cooper White
P
P
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Akron, OH 44308-1062, USA. cwhite@chmca.org
Baum
David L
DL
Ross
Holly
H
Falletta
Lynn
L
Reed
Michael D
MD
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D017028:Caregivers; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D009819:Office Visits; D010290:Parents; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
D007252:Influenza Vaccines