Pneumococcal vaccination awareness and uptake among high-risk patients attending internal medicine outpatient clinics: A cross-sectional study.

Pneumococcal diseases are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in high-risk patient groups. Despite national and international guideline recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination in all adults aged ≥ 65 y and in younger adults with established risk conditions, uptake remains critically low in Turkey. This study aimed to evaluate the association of factors such as age, education level, comorbid risk conditions, disease awareness, frequency of physician counseling, and free-of-charge vaccine availability with pneumococcal vaccination uptake among high-risk patients attending internal medicine outpatient clinics. This cross-sectional survey study was conducted between January and June 2024. Data were collected from 116 participants aged 65 and above or aged 18 and above with risk factors attending internal medicine outpatient clinics. The survey consisted of 16 questions Among participants, 45.7% were aged ≥65 y, 34.5% had diabetes, 6.9% had COPD/asthma, and 4.3% had heart failure. Only 20 participants (17.2%) had received pneumococcal vaccination, of whom 85.0% were vaccinated following physician recommendation. Among non-vaccinated individuals (n = 96), 61.5% reported not being informed about their risk status by a physician. Pneumococcal vaccination was significantly associated with awareness of risk group status (p < .01), knowledge of free vaccination (p < .01), and prior physician recommendation (p < .01). After receiving information, 65 of 96 (67.7%) previously non-vaccinated participants expressed vaccination intention; this reflects short-term receptiveness and should not be interpreted as confirmed behavioral change. These findings suggest that physician counseling and recommendations may be important determinants pneumococcal vaccination uptake among high-risk groups.