Administering flu vaccines to children having surgery substantially boosts vaccination rates

Actively offering an influenza (flu) vaccination to children having surgery and general anesthesia increased the number of patients vaccinated by 3,500% at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2021 annual meeting. Epidemics of seasonal flu occur annually, typically from Sept. 1–March 31. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 38 million people were sick with the flu during the 2019-20 season. Although the CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive a yearly flu vaccine, during the 2019-20 flu season, vaccination rates in adults and children were less than 50% and 60%, respectively, the authors note. In the study, the authors hypothesized that the perioperative period when patients are undergoing anesthesia for surgery would be a “teachable moment” for flu vaccination. A “teachable moment” was defined as an event that motivates individuals to spontaneously adopt risk-reducing health behaviors. The authors developed a standardized...