Introduction
Influenza (flu) remains a significant public health challenge in the United States, with vaccination coverage persistently below optimal levels. Vaccine hesitancy, defined as delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite availability, is a major barrier to increasing influenza immunization rates. Trusted healthcare professionals, especially primary care physicians, are key influencers in patient decisions about vaccination. Personalized communication strategies leveraging physician-patient relationships have the potential to enhance vaccine uptake.
This study aimed to investigate whether personalized video or infographic messages created by primary care physicians, featuring their photographs and messages encouraging influenza vaccination, could effectively increase vaccination rates in a diverse patient population across age groups at UCLA Health medical practices during the 2023-2024 flu season.