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How to Boost Hospital-Wide Vaccination Rates

Open Forum Infect Dis; 2017 Oct 4; Barros, et al

Educational efforts can have a profound impact on the vaccination rates of hospitalized patients most at risk, according to a report from CHOC Children’s Hospital, a tertiary care facility in Southern California. Among the details:

  • Influenza vaccination rate increased 13-fold from 2006 to 2017 as a result of the hospital’s educational programs.
  • The vaccination rate increased 9-fold among hospitalized patients who had been admitted to the hematology and oncology units.
  • The flu vaccination rate jumped 470% during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic, when compared to the previous year.
  • Among the parents of children who were hospitalized, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccinations increased from 57 doses in 2013 to 118 doses in 2016.

Citation:

Barros R, Gornick W, Tran MT, et al. Vaccinating high-risk pediatric patients and their families in the hospital setting: Give it a shot! Open Forum Infect Dis. 2017;4 (Suppl 1): S322-S323. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofx163.758.