Providers' beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors before implementing a computerized pneumococcal vaccination reminder

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• The emergency department (ED) is a recommended setting for pneumococcal vaccination, yet implementation is limited.
• Understanding provider perspectives is crucial for successful program integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess emergency department (ED) providers' beliefs and behaviors regarding pneumococcal vaccination.
• To evaluate provider attitudes towards implementing a computerized reminder system for vaccination.

Main Methods:

• Anonymous survey administered to emergency physicians and nurses at an academic medical center.
• Survey included Likert-scale questions on ordering patterns, implementation, barriers, and reminder systems.
• High response rates achieved: 96% for physicians and 100% for nurses.

Main Results:

• 71% of physicians found the vaccine cost-effective, but only 2% recommended it.
• 93% of physicians and 82% of nurses preferred a computerized vaccination reminder system.
• Key barriers included forgetting to offer vaccination, time constraints, and inadequate counseling time.

Conclusions:

• ED staff generally support pneumococcal vaccination programs.
• Significant barriers within the ED setting hinder program implementation.
• Information technology, specifically computerized reminders, shows potential to overcome these barriers.