Abstract
Background: Migrants often undergo an incomplete vaccination program in regards to the French recommendations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the practices of French General Practitioners’ (GPs) in terms of catch-up vaccination. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried-out in 2017–2018 in France. An online questionnaire was disseminated by email through scholarly societies to GPs involved in the care and the vaccination of migrants. Analyses included univariate and multivariate analysis with a logistic regression model. Results: A total of 216 GPs completed the survey. A majority identified themselves with an average level regarding the prevention of infectious diseases among migrant populations (56.7%) and confirmed this is part of their daily practice (83.3%). The majority of respondents do not perform more than two injections on the same day. When compared to GPs working in health centres, those with a private practice are more likely to report returning to a full primary vaccination schedule (adjusted OR = 2.90, 95% CI [1.29–6.53]). Aside from the serology for hepatitis B and to a lesser extent for measles, other pre-vaccination serologies were not frequently used by GPs. When a migrant declares to be up-to-date with his immunisations, only 56.5% of doctors consider this information reliable. Conclusions: This study clarified the vaccination practices of GPs receiving migrant patients in consultation and showed its heterogeneity. An important need for benchmarks has been identified and these results were used for the elaboration of the French guidelines on vaccines catch-up.
Highlights
There is a reduced use of primary care services and disparities in terms of prevention care among the migrant population in France [1]
The third strategy consists in considering the primary vaccination properly completed and focuses on the boosters in accordance with the national immunization program (NIP). In this context of uncertainty, the objectives of the study were to describe the vaccination catch-up practices of General Practitioners’ (GPs) involved in the care of newly arrived migrants and to identify factors associated with each practice
A total of 216 GPs responded to the survey
Summary
There is a reduced use of primary care services and disparities in terms of prevention care among the migrant population in France [1]. In. France, cases of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles [5,6] and chicken pox [5] have been reported, especially in migrant camps. Migrants often undergo an incomplete vaccination program in regards to the French recommendations. A majority identified themselves with an average level regarding the prevention of infectious diseases among migrant populations (56.7%) and confirmed this is part of their daily practice (83.3%). When compared to GPs working in health centres, those with a private practice are more likely to report returning to a full primary vaccination schedule (adjusted OR = 2.90, 95% CI [1.29–6.53])
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