Targeted Vaccinations: Provider Education
Provider education seeks to increase providers’ knowledge and change their attitudes about vaccinations. This is intended to influence providers to deliver more of the appropriate vaccinations to their clients or to improve their interactions with clients so that clients are more willing to accept vaccinations. Giving information to providers can result in fewer missed vaccination opportunities and a greater proportion of eligible clients receiving appropriate vaccinations. Information can be delivered through printed materials, videos, lectures, continuing medical education programs, and computerized software.
Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings
The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of using provider education, when implemented alone, in increasing influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, or hepatitis B vaccination coverage among high-risk adults because no studies qualified for review.
Results from the Systematic Reviews
No studies were identified that evaluated provider education interventions when used alone.
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
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
Disclaimer
The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the Community Preventive Services Task Force and do not necessarily represent those of CDC.
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: provider education. www.thecommunityguide.org/vaccines/targeted/providereducation.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.
Review completed: June 2002
- Page last reviewed: February 9, 2011
- Page last updated: January 14, 2012
- Content source: The Guide to Community Preventive Services
