Moran 1995
| Methods | Purpose: to compare the effect of a mailed educational brochure on influenza vaccination uptake compared to no intervention Design: RCT, participants as unit of randomisation Duration of study: 4 months Interval between intervention and when outcome was measured: "The educational brochures were mailed to the intervention group when the influenza vaccine became available at the beginning of October." (Year not stated) Power computation: 900 participants required to detect 20% difference if baseline rate 20%, 90% power, α = 0.05 Statistics: not stated (probabilities computed) | |
| Participants | Country: USA Setting: general internal medicine and gerontology service, Wake Forest University, N. Carolina Eligible participants: (health status): 1583, then excluded residents of long‐term care facilities, leaving 1251, of whom 900 were randomised to treatment and control groups Age: ≥ 65; avg = 76 Gender: 65.4% f | |
| Interventions | Intervention: mailed brochure encouraging influenza vaccination Control: no intervention | |
| Outcomes | Outcome measured: % vaccinated Time points from the study that are considered in the review or measured or reported in the study: October to following January (year not stated) % vaccinated by: January following intervention in October | |
| Notes | Funding: National Institute on Aging | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk | "... two random samples of 450 were selected for the intervention and control groups." |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | No statement |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | No statement, vaccination status entered on computer clinical tracking program |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Clinic immunisation and financial logs showed 80 in intervention and 71 in control group received influenza vaccination; 666/900 responded to the postcard survey and a total of 218 in intervention group said had been vaccinated in clinic and elsewhere and 213 in control |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | No selective reporting |