Differences in Administration of Influenza Vaccine to Elderly Adults by Physician Sex, 2006-2016

Abstract

Female physicians spend more time with patients during outpatient visits than their male counterparts.¹ Some of this difference may be due to differences by physician sex in time spent on patient counseling,² including discussions about vaccinations, such as influenza vaccination. The influenza vaccination rate among minority patients, particularly Black patients, is significantly lower than among White patients,³ and more time may be needed with minority patients to discuss vaccine concerns. Using nationwide Medicare data, this study estimated differences in influenza vaccination rates by patient race and sex between patients of female and male physicians working in the same outpatient practice. Identify all potential conflicts of interest that might be relevant to your comment. Conflicts of interest comprise financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including but not limited to employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speaker's bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. Err on the side of full disclosure. If you have no conflicts of interest, check "No potential conflicts of interest" in the box below. The information will be posted with your response. Not all submitted comments are published. Please see our commenting policy for details.