RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Physician Perspectives on Vaccination in Patients With Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: An International Survey
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 246
OP 251
DO 10.3899/jrheum.220135
VO 50
IS 2
A1 Philip Seo
A1 Kevin Winthrop
A1 Amr H. Sawalha
A1 Serim Choi
A1 Hyun Ah Park
A1 Woochang Hwang
A1 Eun Bong Lee
A1 Jin Kyun Park
YR 2023
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/50/2/246.abstract
AB Objective To evaluate the perspective of physicians who care for patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIIRD) toward vaccination.Methods Physicians who care for patients with AIIRD were invited to participate in an online survey regarding their vaccination perspectives in adult patients with AIIRD.Results Survey responses of 370 physicians from Asia (41.1%), North America (41.6%), Europe (13.8%), and other countries (3.5%) were analyzed. Participants stated that rheumatologists (58.2%) should be primarily responsible for vaccination coverage, followed by general internists (19.3%) and family medicine practitioners (12.8%). Additionally, 96.7% of participants considered vaccination very important (≥ 4/5 rating) for patients with AIIRD. Despite these sentiments, only one-third (37%) reported vaccinating the majority (≥ 60%) of their patients.Conclusion Physicians who care for patients with AIIRD agree that vaccines are effective and safe in patients with AIIRD. Unfortunately, they often do not ensure that their patients are adequately vaccinated. Further studies are needed to investigate how to improve vaccination coverage for this high-risk patient population.