BACKGROUND:
Patient knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB) towards vaccination has been shown to guide patient behavior regarding vaccination acceptance. Little is known about the most effective ways to modify the KAB of the low-income population who do not believe they need vaccination (non-believers).

OBJECTIVE:
1) assess the KAB’s towards influenza, pneumococcal (PPV), and hepatitis B (HBV) in the emergency department (ED); 2) determine how well patients understand their vaccine needs

METHOD:
A convenience sample of 104 patients aged 18 - 65 years who were uninsured or Medicaid enrolled; these patients sought care for non-critical health problems in an ED in Baton Rouge, LA. As part of an educational intervention, we conducted private interviews and assessed: 1) baseline KAB of patients regarding influenza vaccine, PPV and HBV while they were awaiting care in the ED; 2) vaccination recommendations based on patient reported risk factors and vaccination status. Patients were then given low-literacy written vaccine education and offered vaccines in the ED.

RESULT:
Of the 104 patients, 35 (34%) were non-believers. Influenza vaccine was indicated according to ACIP criteria for 21 (60%) and after the intervention, 10 (48%) agreed to receive influenza vaccine in the ED. PPV and HBV showed greater acceptance rates: PPV was indicated for 10 non-believers and 7 (70%) agreed, and HBV was indicated for 8 non-believers and 5 (63%) patients agreed to receive the vaccine in the ED.

CONCLUSION:
A brief educational intervention that assessed low-income patients’ KAB towards 3 adult recommended vaccines proved to be an effective method of providing vaccine education to patients who normally wouldn’t have received it. Furthermore, the intervention increased vaccine acceptance of non-believers. Due to long wait times, the ED proved to be an ideal setting to provide one on one preventive education.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Awareness of how a brief educational intervention increased patient acceptance of vaccines