Barriers to pneumococcal conjugate 13 vaccination recommendations among physicians in Lagos

Challenges of physicians in recommending pneumococcal vaccine

Abstract

Objective: Vaccination rates among risk groups vary between different countries. There are gaps in the implementation of the acceptable recommended guidelines on adult pneumococcal immunization in Nigeria. This study aims to evaluate the barriers for physicians in recommending pneumococcal vaccines.

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey involving 97 physicians. Self-administered questionnaires were sent electronically to the physicians to understand the barriers to adult pneumococcal vaccine recommendations among adult physicians in Lagos. The sample size was based on estimation using the Cochrane formula.

Results: Ninety-seven (97) physicians completed the questionnaire with a male to female ratio of 1:1.3. The mean age of the responders was 39.54±6.2 years. About 73(81.1%) of physicians recommended the pneumococcal vaccine and most physicians recommended the vaccine for patients with chronic lung diseases.  The common barriers for vaccine recommendation include: unavailability (53; 54.6%), poor reminder systems (43; 44.3%), inadequate insurance coverage (33; 34%), and Vaccine shortage (31; 32%).

Conclusions: This study suggests that the majority of physicians recommend pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The major barriers to vaccination include poor access, availability, and cost. There is a need to increase access, cost, and availability of pneumococcal vaccine if the narrative must change.