Increasing adolescent immunization rates in primary care: strategies physicians use and would consider implementing.

Strategies to increase adolescent immunization rates have been suggested- but little is documented about which strategies clinicians actually use or would consider. In spring 2010- we surveyed primary care physicians from 2 practice-based research networks (PBRNs): Greater Rochester PBRN (GR-PBRN) and national pediatric COntinuity Research NETwork (CORNET). Network clinicians received mailed or online surveys (response rate 76%- n=148). The GR-PBRN patient population (51% suburban- 33% rural- and 16% urban) differed from that served by CORNET (85% urban). For nonseasonal vaccines recommended for adolescents- many GR-PBRN and CORNET practices reported using nurse prompts to providers at preventive visits (61% and 52%- respectively)- physician education (53% and 53%)- and scheduled vaccine-only visits (91% and 82%). Strategies not used that clinicians frequently indicated they would consider included patient reminder/recall and prompts to providers via nurses or electronic health records. As preventive visits a