Well Child Wednesdays: An interprofessional pilot-program to increase pediatric immunizations Post-COVID.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted essential healthcare services, including routine well-child visits and childhood immunizations.
• This disruption disproportionately affected pediatric populations, leading to potential long-term health consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary initiative aimed at restoring well-child visits and immunization rates.
• The initiative focused on a four-week period following the initial COVID-19 pandemic disruptions.

Main Methods:

• A collaborative program involving student pharmacists, family medicine residents, and nurses was implemented in a family medicine practice.
• "Well-child Wednesdays" were established with adjusted staffing to prioritize patients with overdue vaccinations.
• Student pharmacists identified immunization gaps, coordinated scheduling, while residents and nurses conducted visits and administered vaccines.

Main Results:

• Out of 193 reviewed charts, 68 patients were identified as not up-to-date on routine vaccines.
• 29 patients were scheduled for visits, with 20 attending and receiving a total of 69 administered vaccines.
• The most frequently administered vaccines were DTaP (13 doses) and Hepatitis A (10 doses).

Conclusions:

• An interprofessional immunization program effectively addressed the decline in well-child visits and immunizations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This initiative demonstrated a successful strategy for recovery of essential pediatric preventive care in underserved communities.