Alongside popular misconceptions that healthy people do not need the flu shot and myths about the harmful side effects of the vaccine, numerous studies have shown that one of the biggest reasons people don’t get vaccinated is that a physician never recommends it. (Eighty percent of patients say they would be more likely to get a vaccination if a health care provider recommended it.)
The Best Flu Prevention Might Be Behavioral Economics
Studies show that nudging physicians and patients increases vaccination rates.
April 20, 2018
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Summary.
The flu infects millions of people every year, leading to countless hospitalizations and deaths. What can medical institutions do to reduce infections? Behavioral economics may offer a useful approach: nudging. With a few simple changes to their decision-making processes, organizations can nudge physicians to recommend vaccinations at significantly higher rates, leading more patients to get the vaccine and reduce their chances of getting sick. In this piece, the authors share recent research illustrating some of these small yet effective changes that have been shown to make a major difference.