Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38932311›Full record

ArticleVaccines2024

Possible Changes and Trends in Non-COVID-19 Vaccine-Prescribing Patterns before and during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Shirie van Rooyen, Martie Lubbe, Irma Kotze, Nkengafac Villyen Motaze

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccines, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Shirie van RooyenThe Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa.
Martie LubbeThe Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-7611-6171
Irma KotzeThe Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-0700-1300
Nkengafac Villyen MotazeThe Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-0227-6425

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many children missed their routine vaccinations globally. There is insufficient evidence on the trends in vaccination coverage in the private healthcare sector in South Africa. This study explored the changes in childhood vaccination patterns (non-COVID vaccines) in the private healthcare sector in South Africa using medicine claim data. Using the information on medication claims from a South African pharmaceutical benefit management (PBM) company, we performed a quantitative cross-sectional analysis comparing the period before (2018-2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). All patients who made claims within the study period were included. This study included 67,830 children aged two years and younger. In particular, from 2018 to 2021, boys (52%) outnumbered girls (48%). Pharmacists consistently held the predominant prescriber role before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion of children receiving non-COVID-19 vaccines was higher before the pandemic (60%) than during the pandemic (55%). Furthermore, there was a notable decline of 5% in measles vaccination rates during the children's first year of life, while a notable increase was observed for measles (5%), hepatitis A (7.7%), and the pentavalent vaccine (5%) during the second year of life. Governments and private healthcare providers must take action to enhance vaccination coverage rates for children in their first year of life to prevent a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. The results obtained in this study underscore the significance of implementing vaccine catch-up campaigns to address missed vaccination opportunities arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, pharmacists emerged as the predominant healthcare providers responsible for administering vaccinations within the private healthcare sector in South Africa, both prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their pivotal role in the vaccination process warrants due recognition and should not be underestimated.

Indexed as

coronavirus diseaseCOVID-19medicine claims datanon-COVID vaccinesprescribing patternsSouth Africavaccines

Identifiers

PMID38932311
PMCPMC11209126

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.