Overview

• A University of California, Riverside–led survey of 3,285 non-critical adult patients across 10 emergency departments in eight U.S. cities marks the first national ED-based vaccine surveillance study.
• Researchers found 49% of participants were unaware of recommended vaccines and 86% had missed one or more doses, with African Americans, uninsured individuals and those without primary care most affected.
• About half of unvaccinated patients said they would accept vaccines if offered during their ED visit, underscoring emergency departments as key venues for preventive care.
• Modeling indicates that widespread ED-based screening and delivery programs could boost full vaccination rates among adult ED patients from 14% to nearly 48%.
• Investigators and public health officials are calling for automated screening workflows and mobile outreach pilots to scale ED vaccine initiatives and close coverage gaps.