¶ … Reducing Hospitalization in the Elderly Population
Practice Issue or Problem in Advanced Practice Nursing
Immunization has been regarded as the keystone of influenza-linked mortality and morbidity prevention (Dominguez et al. 2016). Inactivated Influenza Vaccine's efficacy in elderly individuals has been studied; a majority of scholars strongly recommend immunization in individuals aged 65+ (Dawood et al. 2014). Existing vaccines are given for the purpose of inducing serum anti-hemagglutinin antibodies to avoid ailment and infection resulting from an attack of natural influenza. Administration of annual influenza shots to vulnerable persons continues to be practiced on a widespread scale, with aged persons (i.e., 65+ years of age) being the key target population. Trivalent inactivated vaccines for influenza are deemed to be efficient as well as economical. But despite extensive influenza inoculation drives, aged inpatients are increasingly seen in hospitals, for severe cardiovascular and respiratory issues, in the course of recent yearly national outbreaks of influenza (Lang et al. 2012).
Background Information/Clinical Significance
Despite extensively available influenza inoculation initiatives, poor vaccination coverage rates continue to be experienced; the nation's health sector fails to perform up to WHO targets for its vaccine coverage. This, indeed, partly accounts for influenza infection persisting as a key global public health issue. A National Institutes of Health study's authors arrived at the conclusion that seasonal spells of influenza annually accounted for 41,000 deaths, and over 200,000 hospitalizations; further, influenza constituted the 7th key cause of mortality. Influenza-related mortality and morbidity depicts highest concentration among individuals aged 65+ as this group is more vulnerable to developing complications. Estimates for 2012-13 reveal that influenza immunization showed moderate effectiveness in decreasing hospitalizations because of respiratory complications and ailments (Fry et al. 2014). Researchers have also revealed that aged persons, particularly persons diagnosed with immunological disorders or chronic ailments, accounted for nine out of ten deaths linked to influenza. But significant uncertainties exist with regard to influenza-linked hospitalization burden in aged persons (Goldstein et al. 2015).
The common belief is that existing influenza vaccines prove effective in the prevention of elderly individuals' (aged 65+) hospitalizations. But although trivalent inactivated vaccines for influenza avert lab-tested and -confirmed influenza among roughly 70 to 90% of fit adults in cases where the circulating virus and vaccine are antigenically identical, only a vague picture is presented in case of elderly persons. This greatly restricts randomized clinical trials' (RCTs') effectiveness in informing clinicians of the advantages of inoculation when it comes to avoiding hospitalization. A Netherlands-based placebo-controlled RCT performed in the course of the 1991-92 flu spell is considered the biggest and best planned study in this regard A total of 1838 fit volunteers who were aged sixty years or more received either the trivalent inactivated vaccine for influenza or a placebo, at random....
In the event of such an epidemic, it is reasonable to assume that public health departments will be pressed to find ways to maintain their services even when employees are ill, normal supply chains are disrupted, and the nation's infrastructure is inoperative; furthermore, the traditional roles of environmental health professionals can also be expected to change in dramatic ways during a period of pandemic influenza (Fabian, 2006). As U.S. Secretary
Partial vaccination was not effective on children 6-23 months. This meant that full vaccination is necessary to optimally protect children of this age group from Influenza (Shueler et al.). The results are consistent with those of other evaluative studies on children through randomized, controlled trials for efficacy and observational studies for effectiveness (Shueler et al., 2007). Vaccine effectiveness depends on the characteristics of the study population, specificity of the outcome,
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