Sensitivity and specificity of patient self-report of influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations among elderly outpatients in diverse patient care strata.

Zimmerman RK, Raymund M, Janosky JE, Nowalk MP, Fine MJ. Sensitivity and specificity of patient self-report of influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations among elderly outpatients in diverse patient care strata. Vaccine. 2003 Mar 28; 21(13-14):1486-91.

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Abstract:

National surveys of adult vaccination indicate moderate self-reported immunization rates in the US, with limited validity data. We compared self-report with medical record abstraction for 820 persons aged > or = 66 years from inner-city health centers, Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinics, rural and suburban practices. For influenza vaccine, sensitivity was 98% (95% CI: 96-99%); specificity was 38% (95% CI: 33-43%). For pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, sensitivity was 85% (95% CI: 82-89%) and specificity was 46% (95% CI: 42-50%). The VA had the highest sensitivity and lowest specificity for both vaccines while the converse was true in inner-city centers. High negative predictive values indicate that clinicians can confidently vaccinate based on negative patient self-report.