Digital reminders for flu vaccination improves turnout, but not clinical outcomes in older adults

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 18 March 2024   
Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet    

@Annalsofim   
Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.   
----------------------------   

1. Digital reminders for flu vaccination improves turnout, but not clinical outcomes in older adults

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-2638  

URL goes live when the embargo lifts    

An analysis of the NUDGE-FLU (Nationwide Utilization of Danish Government Electronic letter system for increasing inFLUenza vaccine uptake) trial found that using digital reminders, or “electronic nudges,” improved influenza vaccine rates among older adults, but did not improve clinical outcomes. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Rates of influenza vaccination remain low globally, and scalable interventions are needed. Recently, the NUDGE-FLU trial found that letters designed using behavioral science principles and delivered through a governmental electronic letter system were effective in increasing influenza vaccination rates by one percentage point among older adults in Denmark. However, it is unknown if the increase in influenza vaccination rates were associated with improved clinical outcomes.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen conducted a prespecified exploratory analysis of the NUDGE-FLU trial. Participants included 691,820 Danish adults aged 65 years and older during the 2022-2023 influenza season. The authors found that hospitalization for influenza or pneumonia occurred in one percent of participants for both groups, regardless of whether they received a digital reminder for vaccination. They also found that 13 percent of participants were hospitalized for any cause, with no significant difference between persons who did or did not receive a digital reminder. Similarly, the authors reported a similar rate of death among both groups. However, the authors note that they observed a 2.63 percent absolute increase in rates of influenza vaccination using the cardiovascular gain-framing letter from persons who had not been vaccinated the previous influenza season.

Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Tor Biering-Sørensen, MD, MSc, MPH, PhD, please contact Andreas Bennekou at andreas.bennekou@regionh.dk.

----------------------------  

Late Breaking Commentary:

Resurgence of Dengue in the Era of Genomic Surveillance and Vaccines

Ralph Huits, MD, PhD; Nathan D. Grubaugh, PhD; Michael Libman, MD; and Davidson H. Hamer, MD

Ideas and Opinions

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M24-0496

Note: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org. To speak with the corresponding author, Davidson H. Hamer, MD, please contact Cassandra Kocek, ckocek@bu.edu.

Also in this issue:

Strengthening the Integrity of the Match: A Novel, Comprehensive, Standardized, and Transparent Postinterview Communication Policy

C. Christopher Smith, MD; Todd Barton, MD; Rebecca Berman, MD; Natasha Chida, MD, MSPH; Kenneth P. Steinberg, MD; Maria Yialamas, MD; Aimee Zaas, MD, MHS; Nikki DeMelo, MS; and Joel T. Katz, MD

Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M23-3164