title: Increasing use of the vaccine against zoster through recommendation and administration by ophthalmologists at a city hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To increase the vaccination rate and identify barriers to administration of the vaccine against herpes zoster by having ophthalmologists screen and provide the vaccine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective interventional cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic City Hospital, Bellevue Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 eligible patients based on recommended Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria and ability to speak English and Spanish who received the herpes zoster vaccine were compared with 66 patients who declined the vaccine.
  
  
  METHODS
  The vaccine was administered after written informed consent was obtained to complete a screening questionnaire evaluating the participants' eligibility and interest in receiving the vaccine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Barriers to administration of the vaccine were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 170 consenting patients, including 100 patients who were vaccinated, 66 patients who declined vaccination, and 4 patients who were ineligible, were analyzed. The proportion of subjects who would consider receiving the vaccine if recommended by a doctor among those who received the shingles vaccine, 98.0% (95% CI: 95%-100%), was significantly greater than the proportion in the group that declined, 74.2% (95% CI: 64%-85%) (P ≤ .0001). The most common reason that patients declined the vaccine was wanting to speak with their primary care physician, 46.9% (95% CI: 33%-61%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ophthalmologists can screen, educate, and prescribe the vaccine against herpes zoster in order to increase utilization of this vaccine. Nonfinancial or access barriers of this vaccine among underserved eligible patients include absence of recommendation by their primary care doctor.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Jesse J
authors: JJ
authors: Jung
authors: Zachary P
authors: ZP
authors: Elkin
authors: Xiaochun
authors: X
authors: Li
authors: Judith D
authors: JD
authors: Goldberg
authors: Aimée R
authors: AR
authors: Edell
authors: Michael N
authors: MN
authors: Cohen
authors: Kevin C
authors: KC
authors: Chen
authors: Michael H
authors: MH
authors: Perskin
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Park
authors: Elisabeth J
authors: EJ
authors: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006563:Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus / Q000517:prevention & control*; D053061:Herpes Zoster Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D053061:Herpes Zoster Vaccine