Assessment of Tdap administration rates from 2009 to 2012 at a large urban nonteaching hospital

Due to the significant rise in pertussis cases reported in 2012, these authors investigated the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine administration at our institution from 2009 to 2012 to determine if changes in prescribing practices reflected published updates from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). A single large, urban, private, non-teaching hospital. Documented Tdap vaccines administered from January 2009 through December 2012 were retrieved using an electronic data pull. The incidence of Tdap vaccine administration was reported as number of events per 1,000 patient visits. This data pull served to provide the longitudinal context to prescribing pattern changes at our facility, which were then compared to ACIP vaccination recommendation changes. Tdap administrations increased from 1,365 vaccinations in 2009 to 3,048 vaccinations in 2012. Tdap vaccine administration increased significantly each successive year from 2009 to 2012 from 23.96 ± 1.25 to 47.15 ± 1.63 vaccines per 1,000 patient visits to the facility. Confidence intervals did not overlap for consecutive years representing statistically significant differences between vaccination rates from year to year. Review of Tdap administrations demonstrates a clear and significant increase over consecutive years from 2009 to 2012. Over this time period there were no institutional initiatives aimed at increasing appropriate Tdap use at our institution. This study suggests a correlation between ACIP vaccination recommendations and provider prescribing of Tdap, although no definitive association can be made.