Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation

Abstract

Vaccines are recommended for adults on the basis of their age, prior vaccinations, health conditions, lifestyle, occupation, and travel. Reasons for current low levels of vaccination coverage for adult vaccines are multifactorial and include limited awareness among the public about vaccines for adults and gaps in incorporation of regular assessments of vaccine needs and vaccination into routine medical care. Updated standards for immunization of adults were approved by the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) in September 2013. These standards acknowledge the current low levels of vaccination coverage among adults and the role that all health-care providers, including those who do not offer all recommended adult vaccines in their practices, have in ensuring that their patients are up-to-date on recommended vaccines. NVAC recommends that providers assess vaccination needs for their patients at each visit, recommend needed vaccines, and then, ideally, offer the vaccine or, if the provider does not stock the needed vaccines, refer the patient to a provider who does vaccinate. Vaccinating providers should also ensure that patients and their referring health-care providers have documentation of the vaccination.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. CDC. Noninfluenza vaccination coverage among adults, 2012. MMWR. 2014;63:95–102. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Johnson DR, Nichol KL, Lipczynski K. Barriers to adult immunization. Am J Med. 2008;121:S28–35. - PubMed
    1. Tan TQ, Bhattacharya L, Gerbie MV. Awareness, perceptions and knowledge of recommended adult vaccines among a nationwide sample of adult primary care providers. J Reprod Med. 2011;56:301–7. - PubMed
    1. Zimmmerman RK, Albert SM, Nowalk MP, Yonas MA, Ahmed F. Use of standing orders for adult influenza vaccine: a national survey of primary care physicians. Am J Prev Med. 2011;40:144–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Update on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Standards for Adult Immunization Practice. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2013. Available at http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/reports/nvacstandards.pdf.