Barriers to vaccinating the elderly with H1N1 vaccine.

Introduction: The development of a monovalent 2009 H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine for the 2009-2010 season prompted a nationwide campaign of vaccination. The authors assessed the frequency of influenza vaccine usage among 3858 elderly patients with their practice and the most common barriers to receiving vaccine.

Methods: The authors calculated the usage of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 vaccines among seniors with their university practice and surveyed a cohort of 64 patients to determine whether they had received the 2009 H1N1 vaccine and their reasons for not receiving it.