Increasing Pneumoccal Vaccination Rates Among Patients 65 Years and Older in a Retail Clinic

Abstract

Background: Despite the significant morbidity and mortality associated with pneumococcal disease, the national vaccination rates for pneumococcal vaccine for patients 65 years and older fall below the Healthy People goal of 2020. In recent years, there is a growing trend in the use of retail health clinics in the country. These retail health clinics can be an avenue to close the gap in the delivery of pneumococcal vaccination. The purpose of this project is to assess the baseline knowledge of retail health providers and their perception of barriers to pneumonia vaccinations. In addition, a program called The Four Pillars on Immunization Toolkit was implemented to increase pneumococcal immunization rates in a retail health clinic. Purpose: This project explored the baseline knowledge of the providers and the perceived barriers regarding the delivery of pneumococcal vaccination. Furthermore, The Four Pillars on Immunization Toolkit was utilized to increase immunization in a retail health clinic. Methods: The baseline knowledge and perception of barriers to delivering the pneumonia vaccination was assessed via an online survey. To increase the pneumococcal vaccination, the participants were educated on the Four Pillars on Immunization Toolkit before actual implementation. Results: The scores on the knowledge section of the survey ranged from 9% to 81%. These results indicated that providers working in the retail health setting could benefit from pneumococcal vaccination education. The results on the perception of barriers showed that providers working the retail clinics face barriers that prevent the recommendation or the giving of pneumococcal vaccination. In addition, the use of the Four Pillars on Immunization toolkit indicated a 10 % increase in pneumococcal vaccination rate when compared to the previous year. Conclusion: The result indicated that providers working in the retail clinic are generally knowledgeable about pneumonia vaccination; however, there is a gap noted on certain knowledge questions. In addition, providers noted barriers that prevent the recommendation or the giving of the pneumonia vaccination in this setting. The results suggested the use of the Four Pillars on Immunization Toolkit could be used as a tool in a retail clinic to improve delivery of important immunizations.