Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Meeting Patients Where They Are: A Nurse-Driven Quality Improvement Project To Provide Influenza Vaccinations In The Emergency Department, Stacie Hunsaker, Larry Garrett, Katreena Merrill, Rachelle Rhodes

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Influenza is highly contagious, vaccine-preventable, and may result in significant morbidity and mortality. While vaccination is the primary protection against influenza, vaccination rates remain low. Traditionally, primary care clinics, retail pharmacies, and public health departments offer influenza vaccines. However, offering influenza vaccines in new settings may increase their availability to the public and increase community uptake. This project aimed to add emergency departments as a new influenza vaccine location to increase the number of vaccines distributed during the 2020 to 2021 influenza season.

Methods: Adult patients discharged from 24 emergency departments were included in this pre- post-intervention project. A …

Addressing Immunizations In Nursing Education: Immunization Resources For Undergraduate Nursing, Sheryl Buckner, Ruth Gallego, Diana Mcnaughton, Susan Brasher, Joan Stanley, Allison Jacobs, Jennifer Hamborsky, Sarah Schillie, Stacie Hunsaker, Kathy J. Kyler, Allison L. Lewis, Donna Page

Faculty Publications

Nursing faculty are challenged to integrate immunization content in prelicensure nursing curricula. Historically, most immunization content has been delivered in pediatrics courses, with less emphasis on other populations across the lifespan. Skills related to vaccine administration may be prioritized over the most current immunization science, such as pathophysiology, immunology, and epidemiology. As the most trusted profession rated by the public (Saad, 2020), nurses are ideally suited to address vaccine hesitancy and promote vaccination in the communities they serve. Nurses apply active listening, problem solving, and communication skills with patients and their families, contributing to a person's confidence in their decision …

Napnap Position Statement On Immunizations, Lacey Eden, Cheryl Cairns, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy, Mary Koslap-Petraco

Faculty Publications

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) supports the timely and complete immunization of all infants, children, adolescents, and adults in an attempt to maximize the health and wellbeing of all people. Routine childhood immunizations prevent as many as 3 million deaths per year. In addition, 1.5 million deaths per year could be avoided if global vaccination efforts continue to improve (World Health Organization, 2017).

A Whooping Cough Education Module For Wic Clients In Utah, Karlen E. Luthy, Alicia Anderson, Janelle L. B. Macintosh, Renea L. Beckstrand, Lacey M. Eden, Ryan Amy, Christopher I. Macintosh

Faculty Publications

Background: Clients in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are required to complete education modules quarterly to maintain eligibility. The purposes of this project were to: (1) create a whooping cough vaccination education module for WIC clients; (2) evaluate baseline perceptions of WIC clients on the whooping cough vaccine and disease; and (3) evaluate whooping cough knowledge following completion of the module. Problem: A decline in vaccination rates among infants and children using WIC services was reported by a local WIC program director who requested whooping cough vaccination education materials. This quality improvement project included …

Should Nurse Practitioners Be Required To Record Immunizations In Immunization Information Systems?, Donald Gardenier, Lacey Eden, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy

Faculty Publications

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program, which provides the majority of childhood immunizations, has been in existence for over 20 years. The CDC also created the Immunization Information Systems (IIS) program in which states were allocated funding to create statewide immunization databases. The goal was to maintain a reliable immunization tracking system to keep children on schedule and avoid unnecessary immunizations. In most states, however, only health care providers who are enrolled in the VFC Program are required to enter data into the IIS. Should all providers be required to enter …

Evaluation Of Vaccination Policies Among Utah Pediatric Clinic Employees, Karlen Beth Luthy, Tia Peterson, Janelle L B Macintosh, Lacey M. Eden, Renea L. Beckstrand, Nathan H. Wiley

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Pediatric health care settings are high risk environments for spreading communicable and vaccine-preventable diseases from health care workers to susceptible patients. Method: All managers of pediatric clinics operating in the state of Utah were included. Participants were invited to complete a two-page questionnaire regarding their clinic vaccination policies. Results: Half (n = 23, 50%) of Utah pediatric outpatient clinic managers recommend employee vaccinations, although employee refusal was allowed without consequence. Of all adult vaccines, influenza was most often included by managers as part of the employee vaccination policy. Some managers required unvaccinated employees to wear masks in the event …

Napnap Position Statement On Immunizations, Lacey M. Eden

Faculty Publications

The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) fully supports timely and complete immunization of all infants, children, adolescents, and adults to maximize the health and well-being of all people. Routine childhood immunizations prevent approximately 2.5 million deaths every year (World Health Organization, 2012). Maintaining the highest immunization rates possible is essential to prevent outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases across the nation (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). The CDC recommends that all children, adolescents, and adults be immunized to protect children who are most vulnerable to serious illness and death (CDC, 2014). In concert with the American …

Evaluation Of Methods To Relieve Parental Perceptions Of Vaccine-Associated Pain And Anxiety In Children: A Pilot Study, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy, Renea L. Beckstrand, Amy Pulsipher

Faculty Publications

Introduction: The pain and anxiety associated with vaccination is a significant reason why parents are reluctant to have their children vaccinated. Distraction methods and vapocoolant sprays may be use to modify the parent's perceptions of their child's pain and anxiety, thus encouraging parents to return for the child's next vaccination.

Methods: A convenience sample of 68 parents with children ranging in age from 2 to 12 years was selected. The parents and the child were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group, a DVD distraction group, or a vapocoolant spray group. After the child was vaccinated, parents evaluated the …

Improving Immunization Rates In The Clinic And In The Community, Karlen E. (Beth) Luthy, Arlene M. Sperhac, Sandra A. Faux, Joseph K. Miner

Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, the United States haas had tremendous success in achieving very high immunization compliance rates among children, sometimes as high as 91%. However, despite progress toward controlling the spread of communicable disease through immunizations, more than 2.1 million children nationwide are not adequately immunized. Even among US children who are adequately immunized, only about half of them actually received their immunization on time.