Sathyanarayanan Sripriya, Taur Santosh
Medical Advisor, Pfizer Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Director Medical Affairs, Pfizer Limited, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Corresponding Author.
J Assoc Physicians India. 2025 May;73(5S):15-20. doi: 10.59556/japi.73.0991.
The proportion of the elderly population in India is expected to double by the year 2050. Number of deaths because of lower respiratory tract infections (LRI) caused by are substantial in adults aged >70 years. Pneumococcal diseases are vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Vaccination is safe, effective, and economical protection against infections. However, adult vaccination in India is uncommon. One way to increase it would be to educate the adults accompanying their family to vaccination visits, and improve the adult vaccination rates.
In this cross-sectional study, we intend to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of pediatricians to understand the barriers to pneumococcal vaccination in adults in India.
The study was a descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey in which 650 pediatricians were invited to participate. The survey consisted of structured questions sent to the participants in Microsoft Form through emails. The responses were collected, analyzed, and compared for final interpretations using SPSS software.
Of the total 500 pediatricians who consented to study participation, one-third (39.6%) of pediatricians would recommend pneumococcal vaccination to adults >60 years accompanying the children, and 33.2% of the pediatricians reported that they vaccinate adults only when presented with a prescription or advised by the adult's treating physician. Most pediatricians (72.1%) reported that among their patients they would give the highest priority for pneumococcal vaccination in adolescents with chronic lung and heart diseases, and 70.4% of the pediatricians reported that only about one in five families (5-20%) consulting with them are aware of adult vaccination other than the COVID-19 vaccine. Pediatricians (80%) gave the highest priority to "low awareness regarding pneumococcal disease in adults," while only 30.4% of the pediatricians had taken the pneumococcal vaccination.
The study objectively identifies barriers to pneumococcal vaccination in adults in India from the pediatrician point of view. There is a lack of awareness among pediatricians about adult vaccination recommendations. National guidelines among pediatricians for adult vaccination, including data on vaccine safety, efficacy, and disease burden, would help pediatricians in counseling adults for vaccination. Per the pediatricians, patient-level barriers to vaccinations are poor awareness and understanding of both adult pneumococcal disease and vaccination, along with affordability.
预计到2050年，印度老年人口比例将翻倍。在70岁以上的成年人中，因肺炎链球菌引起的下呼吸道感染（LRI）导致的死亡人数相当可观。肺炎球菌疾病是疫苗可预防疾病（VPDs）。接种疫苗是预防感染的安全、有效且经济的方法。然而，在印度，成人接种疫苗并不常见。提高成人接种率的一种方法是教育陪同家人前来接种疫苗的成年人，并提高成人接种率。
在这项横断面研究中，我们旨在评估儿科医生的知识、态度和实践（KAP），以了解印度成人肺炎球菌疫苗接种的障碍。
该研究是一项基于问卷的描述性横断面调查，邀请了65名儿科医生参与。调查通过电子邮件向参与者发送微软表单中的结构化问题。使用SPSS软件收集、分析和比较回复，以进行最终解读。
在总共500名同意参与研究的儿科医生中，三分之一（39.6%）的儿科医生会向陪同儿童前来的60岁以上成年人推荐肺炎球菌疫苗接种，33.2%的儿科医生报告说，只有在有处方或成人主治医生建议时，他们才会为成年人接种疫苗。大多数儿科医生（72.1%）报告说，在他们的患者中，他们会将慢性肺病和心脏病青少年的肺炎球菌疫苗接种列为最高优先级，70.4%的儿科医生报告说，在与他们咨询的家庭中，只有约五分之一（5 - 20%）的家庭了解除新冠疫苗之外的成人疫苗接种。儿科医生（80%）将“成人对肺炎球菌疾病的认知度低”列为最高优先级，而只有30.4%的儿科医生接种过肺炎球菌疫苗。
该研究从儿科医生的角度客观地确定了印度成人肺炎球菌疫苗接种的障碍。儿科医生对成人疫苗接种建议缺乏认识。针对儿科医生的成人疫苗接种国家指南，包括疫苗安全性、有效性和疾病负担的数据，将有助于儿科医生为成年人提供疫苗接种咨询。根据儿科医生的说法，疫苗接种的患者层面障碍包括对成人肺炎球菌疾病和疫苗接种的认识和理解不足，以及可承受性。
