Technically Speaking: Handy Checklist to Help Improve Vaccination Rates
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
We all know that vaccines are cost-effective, safe and life-saving. But sometimes, competing priorities in a busy medical practice can push vaccines off the radar during office visits. This can contribute to low vaccination rates, leaving our patients unprotected against preventable diseases.
Vaccination rates in teens and adults are appallingly low. According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), completion rates for three doses of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for 13- to 17-year-old females (recommended in 2007) have plateaued at 37.6 percent; for males in the same age range (recommended in 2010), the completion rate is a dismal 13.9 percent. Two doses of meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) have been recommended for teens ages 11 to 18 since 2011, yet only 29.6 percent have completed the two-dose series.
Adults fare even worse. Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine for adults age 19 to 64 (recommended in 2007) has a coverage rate of only 15.6 percent, and zoster (shingles) vaccine for those age 60 and older (recommended in 2008) has only reached 20.1 percent of that age group.
Be sure you are taking steps in your practice to help your staff administer recommended vaccines on time! Need help? The Immunization Action Coalition has developed a clear, step-by-step, three-page checklist, Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services, that contains more than 35 ideas that medical practices can use to improve their immunization delivery. As highlighted below, these ideas are conveniently grouped under eight different categories:
Download Suggestions to Improve Your Immunization Services today and use these practical ideas to help you determine where improvements might be made in your delivery of immunization services.
Here are more resources to help you.
Contributed by: Deborah Wexler, MD
Categories: Technically Speaking
Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Vaccine Education Center staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.
You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional. For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel.