Coordination costs for school-located influenza vaccination clinics, Maine, 2009 H1N1 pandemic.
School nurses played a key role in Maine's school-located influenza vaccination (SLV) clinics during the 2009-2010 pandemic season. The objective of this study was to determine, from the school district perspective, the labor hours and costs associated with outside-clinic coordination activities (OCA). The authors defined OCA as labor hours spent by staff outside of clinic operations. The authors surveyed a convenience sample of 10 school nurses from nine school districts. Eight nurses responded to the survey, representing seven districts, 45 schools and 84 SLV clinics that provided a total of 22,596 vaccine doses (H1N1 and seasonal combined) to children and adolescents. The mean total OCA time per clinic was 69 hours: out of total hours, 22 (36%) were spent outside regular clinic operation time. The authors estimated the mean cost of OCA to be $15.36 per dose. Survey respondents reported that costs would be lower during non-pandemic seasons and as schools become more proficient at planning clinics.
Health Services Research and Evaluation Branch, Immunization Services Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA. hrp9@cdc.gov
Garrett R Beeler
GR
Asay
Bo-Hyun
BH
Cho
Suchita A
SA
Lorick
Meredith L
ML
Tipton
Nancy L
NL
Dube
Mark L
ML
Messonnier
D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000191:economics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008281:Maine; D011634:Public Health; D012572:School Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012573:School Nursing / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data