Development of a Pharmacy Technician-Driven Program to Improve Vaccination Rates at an Academic Medical Center

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health
• Health Systems Pharmacy

Background:

• Influenza and pneumococcal diseases pose significant public health challenges in the US.
• Inpatient vaccination rates remain suboptimal despite quality initiatives.
• Pharmacist-led standing order programs (SOPs) show success but are resource-intensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess a pilot program using pharmacy technicians and nursing SOPs to enhance inpatient vaccination.
• To improve immunization rates for influenza and pneumococcal disease in hospitalized patients.

Main Methods:

• Pharmacy technicians identified unvaccinated patients on weekends.
• Interventions included nurse-led SOPs and technician-led reminders (phone calls, staff discussions).
• Compared immunization compliance rates between control and intervention groups.

Main Results:

• Influenza vaccination rates significantly increased from 72.2% to 92.9% (P = .001).
• Pneumococcal vaccination rates showed a non-significant increase from 81.3% to 84.3% (P = .638).

Conclusions:

• Pharmacy technician interventions, coupled with nursing SOPs, can effectively improve inpatient influenza vaccination rates.
• This collaborative model offers a scalable solution for enhancing vaccine uptake in hospitals.