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Exporting a Successful Influenza Vaccination Program from a Teaching Hospital to a Community Outpatient Setting
Author(s) -
Margolis Karen L.,
Nichol Kristin L.,
Wuorenma Jan,
Sternberg Thomas L.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1992.tb04480.x
Subject(s) - medicine , vaccination , psychological intervention , family medicine , outpatient clinic , intervention (counseling) , health care , nursing , immunology , economics , economic growth
Purpose : To assess whether we could export a successful multifaceted influenza vaccination program from an academic medical center to a community setting. Design : Pre/post study using concurrent control groups. Setting : Clinics in a staff model Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). One urban and one suburban clinic were chosen as intervention clinics, while two similar clinics were selected as control clinics. Patients : All patients aged 65 and over enrolled in the four clinics. Interventions : An informational mailing to patients, a standing‐order policy allowing nurses to administer vaccine, a vaccination reminder on daily appointment lists, and availability of walk‐in visits for vaccination. Patients in the control clinics received usual care. Measurements : Vaccination rates were determined using a validated postcard survey of 150 randomly selected patients at each clinic both at baseline (1988–89) and after the intervention (1989–90). Results : The baseline vaccination rates ranged from 51.4% to 74.6%, with nearly all vaccinations taking place at the HMO. In one intervention clinic, the vaccination rate improved from 56.4% to 72.3%, P = 0.01. In the other, the baseline rate was 74.6% and did not change significantly after the intervention. There was no change in the vaccination rate in the control clinics after the intervention period. Conclusions : An influenza vaccination program that combines several organizational interventions may be successfully exported from an academic to a community setting and may serve as a useful model for others. J Am Geriatr Soc 40:1021–1023, 1992