Offering Influenza Vaccine to All Pediatric Emergency Department Patients May Be Cost Effective

In a computerized simulation, this strategy prevented an estimated 27 influenza cases per 1000 patients.

Using a mathematical prediction model, investigators evaluated the cost effectiveness of four strategies for administering influenza vaccine to a hypothetical cohort of children at a tertiary pediatric emergency department (ED). The strategies were to offer vaccine to (1) all patients, (2) only patients <5 years of age, (3) only high-risk patients, or (4) no patients.

Offering influenza vaccine to all patients was the most cost-effective strategy, with a net societal cost of US$104 per patient or $114 per influenza case avoided. Compared with offering vaccine to no patients, offering to all yielded the following results:

Savings of $34 per influenza case avoided
Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per case averted of $1,030
27 fewer influenza …

Reviewing Author

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Offering Influenza Vaccine to All Pediatric Emergency Department Patients May Be Cost Effective

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Reviewing Author