Physician Perspectives on Vaccination in Patients With Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: An International Survey

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the perspective of physicians who care for patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIIRD) toward vaccination. METHODS: Physicians who care for patients with AIIRD were invited to participate in an online survey regarding their vaccination perspectives in adult patients with AIIRD. RESULTS: Survey responses of 370 physicians from Asia (41.1%), North America (41.6%), Europe (13.8%), and other countries (3.5%) were analyzed. Participants stated that rheumatologists (58.2%) should be primarily responsible for vaccination coverage, followed by general internists (19.3%) and family medicine practitioners (12.8%). Additionally, 96.7% of participants considered vaccination very important (≥ 4/5 rating) for patients with AIIRD. Despite these sentiments, only one-third (37%) reported vaccinating the majority (≥ 60%) of their patients. CONCLUSION: Physicians who care for patients with AIIRD agree that vaccines are effective and safe in patients with AIIRD. Unfortunately, they often do not ensure that their patients are adequately vaccinated. Further studies are needed to investigate how to improve vaccination coverage for this high-risk patient population.