Health Services Research and Evaluation Branch, Immunization Services Division, MS E52, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. MWashington@cdc.gov
Vaccinating millions of Americans depends, in part, on short vaccination times. During two intranasal influenza vaccine trials, times for six vaccination steps were recorded for 497 children. The total of mean times for the steps was 115 s, almost half spent explaining the vaccine and intranasal delivery. Intranasal influenza vaccination time showed little variation by patient age, was comparable to reported intramuscular vaccination times, and was a small fraction of the visit time. Total family visit time decreased by 64 s if the youngest child was receiving a second dose. Alternative delivery systems (e.g., group visits) are needed to take advantage of short vaccination times.