CHICAGO — A research team led by the University of California, Riverside surveyed 3,285 adult patients at 10 emergency departments across eight U.S. cities between April and December 2024. The study explored patients' willingness to receive flu vaccines during emergency department visits, particularly among those without primary care access.

The study found that 37% of participants who were not up to date on their flu vaccination indicated they would accept a flu shot if offered during an emergency department visit. More than 20% of study participants reported lacking a primary care provider. These patients were more than twice as likely to be behind on influenza vaccination compared to those with a primary care provider. Lower vaccination rates were also observed among uninsured patients and African American patients. Ninety-six percent of all survey participants reported awareness of the influenza vaccine, and 77.6% reported receiving a flu vaccine at some point in their lives, though 58.4% had not received one within the past year.

Professor of medicine Rajesh Gulati said, "Emergency departments are often the only point of contact with the health care system for many patients." Gulati said, "Our findings show that there is a substantial opportunity to reach people who may not have access to primary care and help close important gaps in influenza vaccination coverage." Medical student Sanya Dhama said, "The message from this study is clear: many patients who are either unaware of or not receiving preventive care elsewhere are willing to be vaccinated when given the opportunity." Dhama said, "Emergency departments can serve as a critical public health safety net - not only for acute care, but also for preventive services such as influenza vaccination."

The most common reasons for declining a flu vaccine in the emergency department were fear of side effects, a desire for additional information, and feeling too ill at the time of the visit. Fewer than half of U.S. adults received a flu vaccine during the 2023-2024 season. Professor of medicine Robert Rodriguez said, "These findings suggest that educational messaging and targeted outreach could further improve acceptance." Rodriguez said, "Emergency departments represent an underutilized venue for influenza vaccination surveillance, education, and vaccine delivery." He said, "Expanding ED-based vaccination programs could help reduce influenza-related illness, hospitalization, and death, particularly among populations with limited access to routine health care." Influenza contributes to an estimated 650,000 deaths worldwide annually.

The research findings were published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases partially supported the research.