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Opportunistic immunisation of infants admitted to hospital: are we doing enough?
Kelly-Anne Ressler1, Karen Orr, Suzie Bowdler
1South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service Public Health Unit - Sydney Office, Randwick Hospitals Campus, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia. kelly-anne.ressler@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Insights
Opportunistic childhood immunisation during hospital stays can be effective, but accurate health service screening and documentation are crucial for success. Catch-up plans improve vaccination timeliness for admitted children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health
- Immunization Practices
Background:
- Hospital admissions present opportunities for routine and catch-up immunizations.
- Effective opportunistic immunization relies on accurate health service screening and documentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy and effectiveness of opportunistic childhood immunisation in a hospital setting.
- To evaluate the impact of catch-up plans on immunization timeliness for admitted children.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective data analysis of 614 pediatric admissions over one year.
- Comparison of immunization status between clinical indicator (CI) forms and the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.
- Analysis of catch-up vaccination times for children with and without documented catch-up plans.
Main Results:
- 14.5% of immunization statuses were inaccurately recorded on CI forms compared to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.
- Only 25 of 82 overdue infants were identified during their hospital stay.
- Children with catch-up plans were more likely to be vaccinated within 30 and 90 days; nearly half of those without plans remained overdue at 90 days.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalization offers a valuable window for childhood immunizations.
- Accurate documentation and screening are essential for the success of opportunistic immunization strategies.
- Implementing catch-up plans significantly enhances vaccination timeliness during pediatric hospital admissions.
Aim:
To determine the accuracy and effectiveness of opportunistic immunisation of children admitted to the paediatric unit of a large teaching hospital using retrospectively collected data.
Methods:
Immunisation status, documented using clinical indicator (CI) forms, of all admissions over a 1-year period was compared with that recorded by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register. In order to determine the effectiveness of providing catch-up plans, we analysed the difference in catch-up times of the children with and without a catch-up plan on their CI form.
Results:
The details of 614 admissions in the study period were included. Comparing the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register with the CI for assessing immunisation status, we found that 83 of the 573 (14.5%) were incorrectly recorded, and only 25 of the 82 admissions in which the infant was overdue were identified on the ward. Children were more likely to be vaccinated within 30 days and 90 days of admission if they had been given a catch-up plan. Of the children who had not been given a catch-up plan, almost half were still overdue at 90 days.
Conclusions:
Admission to hospital provides opportunities for both routine and catch-up immunisation; however, for opportunistic immunisation to be effective, health service screening and immunisation documentation must be accurate.
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