Promoting influenza and pneumococcal immunization in older adults.
BACKGROUND
Reducing the risk of influenza and pneumococcal disease in older adults is a long-standing goal of Medicare's Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program and parallels the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal 10.
Since 1999 the West Virginia Medical Institute has worked with a statewide partnership of health organizations on a program to improve influenza and pneumonia vaccination rates in hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. Methods included education, audit and feedback, toolkits, and training meetings.


RESULTS
During the first three years (1999-2001) of the effort, the rate of assessment for pneumococcal immunization at discharge increased from < 10% to 74.1% statewide and for influenza immunization from near zero to 63.4% statewide. Since 2002 pneumococcal immunization administration has increased from 16.1% to 41.1%, with similar improvement in influenza measures.
Hospitals--and, by extension, long term care facilities--can make dramatic improvements in quality performance in a relatively short time when key staff receive feedback about the need to improve and the tools to assist in improving.
Hannah
Karen L
KL
West Virginia Medical Institute, Charleston, USA. khannah@wvmi.org
Schade
Charles P
CP
Cochran
Rebecca
R
Brehm
John G
JG
D000368:Aged; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006040:Goals; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000517:prevention & control*; D032541:Mass Vaccination; D006278:Medicare; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014481:United States; D014903:West Virginia
D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines