Understanding Low Influenza Vaccination Rates Through Family Physician-Centered Interventions

In Germany, between four and 16 million people contract the flu each year. The flu is a respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Older adults and people with chronic conditions are at particularly high risk of severe illness. For this reason, a seasonal flu vaccine in the fall is recommended for everyone aged 60 and older, as well as for people with chronic conditions. The vaccine is intended to prevent infections with the influenza virus and severe complications such as bacterial pneumonia, heart attacks, and possible deaths. However, during the flu season from early October 2023 to mid-May 2024, just under 40 percent of people over 60 in Germany were vaccinated against the flu. As a result, despite significant regional differences, the vaccination rate of 75 percent recommended by the World Health Organization was not achieved in any federal state or age group.

However, it is not only medical and personal reasons that can stand in the way of getting a flu shot. There are also hurdles on the part of primary care physicians when it comes to providing information about and administering flu shots. Against this backdrop, the NIMa project aims to identify GP-centered measures that can increase vaccination rates in Germany. The project will identify facilitating and hindering factors, barriers, and challenges related to providing information and administering vaccinations, as well as the reasons for non-vaccination. Following a comprehensive systematic literature review, general practitioners from the federal states with the lowest vaccination rates (Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria) will be surveyed. Based on the results, appropriate measures will be identified and recommendations for increasing the vaccination rate will be developed. These will then be implemented in pilot practices and evaluated for their impact on the vaccination rate.

If successful, this will result in specific, primary-care-centered measures that can help increase the flu vaccination rate. This can, on the one hand, prevent severe cases of the disease and, on the other hand, reduce the healthcare costs associated with the flu. These findings can also be applied to other vaccination indications.

In the NIMa project, inav GmbH is serving as the consortium leader and is responsible for the evaluation.

Regional Health Care in the Ludwigslust-Parchim District

The growing proportion of older people in the population poses an increasing challenge to the healthcare system in Germany. In rural areas in particular, this trend—combined with the simultaneous shortage of skilled healthcare workers—will affect the quality of care in the coming years. The Ludwigslust-Parchim district is addressing this issue in collaboration with numerous consortium and cooperation partners.

As part of the LuP-Regio Innovation Fund project, healthcare structures and processes are being realigned to ensure comprehensive coverage and accessibility of medical services for the district’s population. To this end, Community Health Nurses (CHNs)—specially trained nursing professionals—will coordinate outpatient, preventive, and health-promoting services for patients. The CHNs are employed at the outpatient portal practice of the Facharztzentrum LUP-Kliniken gGmbH in Crivitz. This community-based approach is complemented by digital, interdisciplinary documentation and an integrated mobility service designed to facilitate access to healthcare services and make them more efficient. Through digital interfaces, telemedical consultations and case conferences can also be coordinated and conducted as needed at the hospital on Lake Crivitz or at Helios Klinikum Schwerin, the region’s tertiary care provider.

Through patient surveys and the analysis of routine data, the aim is to identify needs and any potential barriers to implementing this new model of care. A health economic analysis will track and evaluate resource utilization within the context of the intervention.

inav GmbH is responsible for overall project management. This role includes, for example,

• Coordination of study initiation activities (e.g., ethics application, contract management, data protection policy, specification of the care plan)
• Consulting on the implementation of structures and processes
• Resource and grant management
• Conflict management
• Quality management
• Support for public relations

Drawing on inav GmbH’s experience with more than 20 innovation fund projects, project management will be used to ensure successful project implementation.

In addition to the consortium leader, nine consortium partners and other collaborating partners are involved in the project.

Consortium Leader

Consortium Partners