Discussion
RECRUITMENT, DISEASES
In this study, a complex intervention to improve vaccination rates in GP practices for the vaccinations recommended for people aged 60 years and older will be implemented and evaluated. Targeted intervention activities in the GP practices are intended to improve patients’ vaccine-related health literacy, knowledge about the respective diseases and vaccinations, and patients’ intention to get vaccinated.The survey recruitment of patients by the GP practice team may lead to a social desirability bias. Since independent patient cohorts are surveyed pre and post intervention, no within-person comparisons can be performed. Furthermore, the dynamic developments of the COVID-19 pandemic could affect both outcomes and the feasibility of the planned study.To the best of our knowledge, there are no comparable complex intervention studies examining vaccination uptake and vaccine literacy regarding all recommended vaccinations for persons aged 60 years and older in Germany. Therefore, the design of this intervention study can deliver results that can be used to improve preventive health care for elderly people. The mixed methods design enables a more comprehensive understanding of the complex context in which this study takes place and thus contributes to more profound knowledge on the intervention’s effectiveness.The results will be published as a report in the final phase of the study. Depending on the results, a decision will be made by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee, the highest decision-making body of the joint self-government of physicians, dentists, hospitals, and health insurance funds in Germany on whether the intervention will be recommended to be included into standard care in Germany. The results will be accessible to the scientific community in the form of scientific publications and conference contributions. Aggregated results of the patient surveys per GP practice can be provided to participating GPs on request.