The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases has unveiled a Web site that takes a multipronged approach to increasing the rate of adult vaccination in the United States.
Revealed during a Webcast for reporters, www.adultvaccination.com
Adult immunization rates are far too low, Dr. Rehm said during the Webcast: “Most vaccination rates in adults are below 50%. The highest rates are for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines in people 65 and older, but even in these groups vaccination rates are below 70%.”
Dr. Rehm attributed those higher rates to long-standing, comprehensive educational and awareness efforts aimed both at the public and health care providers. “Our mission here is to focus the same type of concentrated efforts on all adult vaccines, to support increases in vaccination rates across the entire adult spectrum. While we're at it we'll also aim to increase the influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates to new target levels,” she said.
For patients, the Web site includes basic information on 13 vaccine-preventable diseases along with a short quiz that helps discern which vaccines they need. It also includes a simple fact sheet and the full schedule of adult immunizations recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For health care providers, the Web site includes a “Professional Practice Toolkit,” with numerous resources. These include suggested text for reminder postcards, text to be added to the back of appointment reminder cards, and scripts for recorded telephone messages to be played when patients are on hold or when the office is closed. (See box.)
Dr. Rehm has used a number of these resources in her own practice, and has implemented other strategies as well. “We have posters in our waiting room regarding various immunizations, and in each of the individual examination rooms we have posted the adult vaccination recommendations from the CDC. People can take a look at those and then it's also a stimulus for us to talk about them,” she explained. “We have built in questions about vaccinations into our intake, so that when our assistants ask patients what medicines they're taking and they get their vital signs … they also update their vaccination immunization [records] and cue us to talk with patients about vaccines.”
The Web site is supported by unrestricted educational grants to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases from GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Sanofi Pasteur, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Items in the Online Toolkit:
▸ Appointment reminder cards
▸ “Office closed” message script
▸ “On hold” message script
▸ Patient fact sheet
▸ Patient Q&A
▸ Poster
▸ Tabletop tent cards
▸ Article for practice newsletter or physician's Web site
▸ Reminder postcards
▸ Resource list
▸ Sample standing orders
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