title: Awareness, perceptions and knowledge of recommended adult vaccines among a nationwide sample of adult primary care providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the awareness, knowledge, barriers to usage and acceptance of recommended adult vaccines among obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) compared to other adult primary care providers (APCPs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered survey was sent to 1,000 OB/GYN, 1,000 family practice and 1,000 internal medicine physicians nationwide.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 3,000 mailed surveys, 733 (24.8%) were returned. Of those, 617 (84.18%) reported providing primary care to adults. Only 53.04% of APCPs reported having a vaccine record on > 50% of their primary care patients, with 33.15% of OB/GYNs having no record. This absence of a record was significantly greater for OB/GYNs vs. other APCPs. OB/GYNs were also significantly less likely to routinely discuss the importance of vaccines and offer any vaccines. With the exception of HPV vaccine, other providers were significantly more likely to provide Td, Tdap, influenza, hepatitis B and MMR compared to OB/GYNs. Overall 58.24% of APCPs administered vaccines to pregnant women: 4.86% administered MMR and 2.86% administered HPV vaccine, vaccines not recommended during pregnancy. Poor reimbursement and lack of knowledge and training in vaccine use were major factors that prevented APCPs from offering vaccines. The greatest perceived barriers to patient vaccine acceptance included concern about adverse effects, perceived lack of disease risk, distrust of vaccines, lack of disease awareness and cost.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intensive programs aimed at familiarizing APCPs with vaccine-preventable diseases and the importance of using vaccines are needed in order to improve vaccination rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the Division of Infectious Diseases, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, 60614, USA. ttan@northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Tina Q
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Leena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.forename: Melvin V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Gerbie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014612:Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines