Title

High Dose Influenza Vaccine in Nursing Home - Pilot Study
High Dose Influenza Vaccination and Morbidity and Mortality in U.S. Nursing Homes - A Pilot Evaluation
  • Phase

    Phase 4
  • Study Type

    Interventional
  • Study Participants

    2957
The purpose of this pilot evaluation is to help determine the feasibility and power needed to prospectively evaluate relative effectiveness of high-dose influenza vaccine in preventing influenza mortality and hospitalization in a nursing home population in the U.S., compared to the standard-dose influenza vaccine.
Influenza remains the most common preventable respiratory viral infection of older adults. Older adults incur more than 90% of the disease burden, and those residing in nursing homes are the most affected subset given their immune senescence, multi-morbidity, and close living quarters. Each year, the majority of influenza-related hospitalizations occur during the period with the greatest influenza activity.

Influenza vaccination has been associated with reduced hospitalization, strokes, heart attacks and death in non-institutional older adult populations, but the benefit of influenza vaccine for the oldest population has been questioned. The new high-dose influenza vaccine is considerably more immunogenic in older adults, and has recently been approved for use in individuals aged 65 years and older. No clinical data yet confirm whether the improved immunogenicity translates into added clinical benefit, such as further reduction in hospitalization or death. Estimating the benefit of influenza vaccination among older adults in long-term care settings using randomized controlled trials requires extensive effort and is costly. Instead, a pragmatic RCT in a nursing home population has several advantages as a model for comparing therapeutic approaches.

This clinical trial aims to test the feasibility of our protocol for a subsequent larger study. We aim to demonstrate that we can recruit and enroll facilities; randomly assign and coordinate vaccine delivery; collect data; conduct site audits for data validation; create outcomes using multiple data sources; and conduct analyses.
Study Started
Sep 30
2012
Primary Completion
May 31
2013
Study Completion
May 31
2016
Results Posted
Apr 18
2018
Last Update
May 23
2018

Biological HD Fluzone Vaccine

Nursing home residents over 65 years are allocated to receive high dose trivalent vaccine. Residents under 65 years are provided standard dose trivalent vaccine (TIV).

  • Other names: Fluzone High Dose influenza vaccine

Biological SD Fluzone Vaccine

Nursing home residents are allocated to receive standard trivalent vaccine (TIV).

  • Other names: Fluzone influenza vaccine

HD Fluzone Vaccine Experimental

NH facilities randomized to receive high dose trivalent influenza vaccine (HD Fluzone) for the residents.

SD Fluzone Vaccine Active Comparator

NH facilities randomized to standard dose trivalent influenza vaccine (SD Fluzone) for the residents.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Long-term care facilities in one of the 122 cities that serve as Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance sites

Exclusion Criteria:

Facilities already systematically administering HD vaccine to their residents
Facilities for whom over half the residents are on Medicare (short-stay)
Facilities in which over half the residents are on Medicare Part A (SNF)
Facilities having fewer than 50 long-stay residents
Hospital-based facilities
Facilities with more than 20% of the population under age 65
Facilities with mandated (employment-dependent) seasonal influenza vaccination
Facilities not submitting MDS data

Summary

High-Dose Vaccine for Residents

Standard-dose for Residents

All Events

Event Type Organ System Event Term

Total All-cause Hospitalizations

The primary outcome will establish our methodology for measuring all-cause hospitalizations using the Minimum Data Set (MDS).

High-Dose Vaccine for Residents

197.0
events

Standard-dose for Residents

301.0
events

Change in Residents' Functional Status

The secondary outcome will establish our methodology for measuring change in functional status of nursing home residents using Activities of Daily Living (ADL) data in the Minimum Data Set (MDS). A change in functional status is defined as a decline in physical functioning by at least 4 points on the 28-point ADL scale.

HD Fluzone Vaccine

SD Fluzone Vaccine

Recruit, Enroll, and Randomize Nursing Homes Per Calculated Sample Size

This outcome evaluates our ability to recruit and enroll nursing facilities that meet our inclusion and exclusion criteria, and ensure nursing home residents receive either high-dose or standard-dose influenza vaccine

HD Fluzone Vaccine

20.0
Nursing Homes

HD Fluzone Vaccine

20.0
Nursing Homes

SD Fluzone Vaccine

19.0
Nursing Homes

SD Fluzone Vaccine

19.0
Nursing Homes

Total

2957
Participants

Total

39
nursing homes

Number of long-stay residents who are over 65 years of age

78
participants (Mean)
Standard Deviation: 40

Number of nursing facilities that are part of a chain

16
nursing homes

Number of residents per nursing home

116
participants (Mean)
Standard Deviation: 51

Percent of residents in for-profit nursing facilities

71.8
percent (Mean)
Standard Deviation: 45.6

Percent of residents who are long-stay

87.2
percent (Mean)
Standard Deviation: 9.7

Percent of residents with Medicaid as payer

62.7
percent (Mean)
Standard Deviation: 15.0

Age, Customized

Sex/Gender, Customized

Overall Study

High-Dose Vaccine for Residents

Standard-dose for Residents