Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Strategies for Improving Influenza Vaccination Rates in Patients with Chronic Renal Disease.
The influenza vaccination rate among older and chronically ill patients in Germany has declined in the past decade in spite of vaccination campaigns. ⋯ Fewer than half of all patients with chronic renal failure in Germany are vaccinated against influenza. The vaccination rate was found to be increased only after an appeal for vaccination that was sent directly to the patients. A letter sent to the treating physicians had no positive effect at all.
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Mentally ill patients die on average 10 years earlier than the general population, largely due to general medical disorders. This study is the first to explore in a large German sample the prevalence, mortality, and medical comorbidity in pa- tients with severe mental illness (SMI). The patients were affected by borderline personality disorder (BPD), psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, or severe unipolar depression. ⋯ Mortality is substantially elevated in all SMI patients. The results underline the need to remove barriers to adequate general medical care, both on the patient and the provider side, to reduce excess mortality.