Higher person-centered primary care measure score is associated with better influenza vaccine uptake: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Background Patient experience (PX) is one of the important primary care (PC) indicators. Therefore, PX measurement is essential for assessing PC quality. However, no single standard measure has been established. Although the Person-Centered Primary Care Measure (PCPCM) is a comprehensive and concise measure for evaluating PX in PC, the association between the score and clinical outcomes remains unclear. Objective This study aimed to assess the association between the PCPCM score and influenza vaccine uptake, an important clinical outcome in PC for all ages. Methods This nationwide cross-sectional study conducted in 2022 used an online survey with stratified random sampling in Japan. PX in PC was evaluated using the PCPCM. The outcome variable was influenza vaccine uptake in the past year. A modified Poisson regression analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between the PCPCM score and influenza vaccine uptake to adjust for possible confounders. Results Among 1112 potential participants, 800 responded; 32.4% received influenza vaccination. After adjusting for possible confounders, PX was found to be associated with influenza vaccine uptake (risk ratio [RR] = 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51–2.70 for the highest score quartile, compared with no usual source of care). The relationship between the PCPCM score quartile and vaccine uptake was dose-dependent. Conclusions A higher PCPCM score was associated with better influenza vaccine uptake. Because the PCPCM is a concise and validated measure of PX in PC and has been translated into many languages, the results provide important evidence to promote the measurement of PX in PC worldwide.