title: Does education effect the rates of prophylactic vaccination in elderly diabetics?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study is performed for inspecting vaccination rates in geriatric patients, negatory effects leading to unvaccination and changes occurring in vaccination rates by patient education.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is planned in a combination of two formats: retrospectively for determining last 5years' vaccination rates of patients and prospectively for determining the change in vaccination rates after patient education. Totally 579 diabetic patients, 206 patients of 65years and over (group 1) and 373 patients under 65years (group 2) were admitted to the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among preeducational reasons of avoiding vaccination, not to need vaccination was more frequently seen in group 2 when compared to group 1 (98.1% vs 91.7%, p<0.001). Pneumococ, influenzae and hepatitis vaccination rates all increased after education in the whole study population. (1.4% vs 12.4%, 12.1% vs 36.6%, 0.5% vs 3.8%, respectively; p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is seen that giving detailed information to geriatric patients about necessary vaccines and removing suspicions and anxiety about vaccination (about adverse events, for example) makes the vaccination rates raise. Primarily health professionals should be educated for this aim and they shouldn't withhold the effort to give sufficient education to patients on time.
authors.affiliation: Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: altay_mustafa@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Altay
authors.affiliation: Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: İhsan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Ateş
authors.affiliation: Dışkapı Education and Research Hospital Department of Infectious Disease, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Aybala
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Altay
authors.affiliation: Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Internal Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.affiliation: Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Family Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Akça
authors.affiliation: Numune Education and Research Hospital Department of Family Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Adem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Özkara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014611:Vaccination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Diabetes; Elderly; Vaccination