What’s the number needed to vaccinate to keep older adults out of long-term care?

Results from a new study highlight how influenza vaccination impacts functional independence in older adults. Researchers found that vaccinating 123 older adults against the flu keeps one from needing to move into a nursing or long-term care home. Dr. Melissa Andrew, a geriatrician and professor of geriatrics at Dalhousie University, and colleagues looked at data from the Canadian Immunization Research Network serious outcomes surveillance network (CIRN SOS). They studied administrative data from 2011 to 2019 of older adults over 50 years old who were vaccinated for influenza. The case-control study compared 535 people who went to a nursing home or long-term care a month after hospitalization for influenza to 5,885 who went back to living in the community. Read: A shot prevents frailty: Reframe your message about adult vaccinations, experts sayOf the entire study population, 4.2% of those not vaccinated in the current season went to a nursing or long-term care home after hospitalization for influenza. The vaccine efficacy against admission to a nursing or long-term care home was 20%. The influenza vaccine was associated with a significantly shorter length of stay in the hospital. People who were vaccinated for influenza in the season where they were hospitalized had significantly reduced odds of being discharged to a nursing home or long-term care. The number needed to treat to prevent one long-term care move among community-dwelling people over 50 years old was 123.Read: Dementia, delirium and flu: a deadly combinationThe risk of a poor outcome varies in the community-dwelling population with some people having a higher risk than others, Dr. Andrew noted. An influenza infection can trigger complications in existing conditions. Recent studies also suggest the flu vaccine has a cross-reactive adaptive effect that prevents non-viral disease, including dementia. The study suggests that vaccination against influenza helps prevent severe outcomes and hospitalizations, allowing people aged 50 years and older to maintain their functional independence.For some older adults, survival isn’t as important a factor as independent living when it comes to vaccine decision-making, explained Dr. Andrew. Her patients tell her that they don’t mind if they die, they’ve had a good life. But when the subject of independence comes up, they’re concerned. “What if you get sick and don’t die?” Dr. Andrew said she asks her patients. Framing the conversation about vaccination to the person in front of you is important, Dr. Andrew said.Dr. Andrew presented the study at the Canadian Immunization Conference, held in Ottawa in late November. The study will be published in Vaccine.Read: Can the shingles vaccine really delay dementia onset?

What’s the number needed to vaccinate to keep older adults out of long-term care?

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