Improving Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates in High-risk Children in Specialty Clinics

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric patients with immunocompromising or certain chronic medical conditions have an increased risk of acquiring invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is recommended for patients >= 2 years at high risk for IPDs. The aim of this project was to improve PPSV23 vaccination rates for children at high risk for IPD who were seen in 3 specialty clinics from similar to 20% to 50% over a 12-month period. METHODS: The project team included quality improvement champions from the divisions of rheumatology, infectious diseases, and pulmonology in addition to leaders from our population health management subsidiary. Several initiatives were implemented, starting with review of patient inclusion criteria per the vaccination recommendations, that led to the design and deployment of an automated weekly previsit planning report. Additionally, we implemented a process to stock pneumococcal vaccines and shared best practices among the divisions. We monitored improvement through times series and run charts of PPSV23 vaccination rates. RESULTS: The initial PPSV23 vaccination rate for applicable high-risk patients was similar to 20%. There was an increase in vaccination rate to similar to 60%. All 3 divisions showed improvements in their individual PPSV23 vaccination rates. CONCLUSIONS: Using quality improvement methodology, we increased PPSV23 vaccination rates in 3 pediatric specialty clinics, and this improvement was sustained. We will continue to identify best practices and actively recruit additional divisions because we have the opportunity to reach >9000 high-risk patients.