Targeted Vaccinations: Clinic-Based Client Education

Clinic-based client education interventions provide information to clients served in specific medical or public health clinic settings. This information can help clients identify their risk status, indications for specific vaccines, and the potential benefits of vaccination. It can also reduce or remove barriers by changing negative attitudes and beliefs about vaccination. Education efforts can use a variety of formats, including letters, newsletters, brochures, and posters.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of clinic-based client education when implemented alone in improving influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, or hepatitis B vaccination coverage in high-risk adults because only two studies of fair quality were eligible for review.

Task Force Finding

 

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Two studies qualified for the systematic review.

• One study, that used two versions of a brochure to provide information to clients, was associated with increases of 2 and 10 percentage points in the proportion of clients screened or vaccinated for hepatitis B.
• One study, that used a brochure, found that rates for pneumococcal vaccinations among clients with at-risk medical conditions increased by 16.1 percentage points over clients who did not receive a brochure.
• Although these studies did show improvement, the two studies by themselves provide insufficient evidence to determine if clinic-base client education is effective in increasing targeted vaccine coverage.

These results were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice, and policy related to vaccinations to prevent diseases.

Economic Review

An economic review of this intervention was not conducted because the Task Force found insufficient evidence to determine its effectiveness.

Supporting Materials

• Analytic framework [PDF - 728KB] - see Figure 1 on page 251
• Summary evidence table [PDF - 728KB] - See Appendix on pages 265-279

Publications

CDC. Improving influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults aged <65 years at high risk: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR 2005;54(No. RR-5):1-12.

Task Force for Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to improve targeted vaccination coverage among high-risk adults. [PDF - 97KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);231-7.

Ndiaye SM, Hopkins DP, Smith SJ, et al. Methods for conducting systematic reviews of targeted vaccination strategies for The Guide to Community Preventive Services. [PDF - 132KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);238-47. 

Ndiaye SM, Hopkins DP, Shefer AM, et al. Interventions to improve influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among high-risk adults: a systematic review. [PDF - 728KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);248-79.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Vaccine preventable diseases. [PDF - 97KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:223-303.

More Community Guide publications about Vaccinations to Prevent Diseases

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Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Targeted vaccinations: clinic-based client education. www.thecommunityguide.org/vaccines/targeted/clienteducation.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: June 2002