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Technically Speaking
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March 2013
Technically Speaking
Monthly Column by Deborah Wexler, MD
Deborah Wexler MD
Technically Speaking is a monthly column written by IAC’s Executive Director Deborah Wexler, MD. The column is featured in The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center’s (VEC's) monthly e-newsletter for healthcare professionals. Technically Speaking columns cover practical topics in immunization delivery such as needle length, vaccine administration, cold chain, and immunization schedules.
Check out a recent issue of Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers. The VEC e-newsletter keeps providers up to date on vaccine-related issues and includes reviews of recently published journal articles, media recaps, announcements about new resources, and a regularly updated calendar of events.
TECHNICALLY SPEAKING
What to Do if the Wrong Dose of a Vaccine is Administered
Published March 2013
Information presented in this article may have changed since the original publication date. For the most current immunization recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, visit www.immunize.org/acip/acip_vax.asp.
Sometimes healthcare personnel inadvertently administer the wrong dose of a vaccine to a child or adult patient. This often happens with vaccines that come in both pediatric and adult formulations, such as hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines, which are available in both 0.5 mL and 1.0 mL formulations. Routinely used injectable influenza vaccines come in two dosing amounts as well, with 0.25 mL for use in children younger than age 3 years and 0.5 mL for people age 3 years and older. Below is some guidance on what to do when such dosing errors occur, and how to avoid these errors in the future.
If you administer too large a dose
If you’ve administered too large a dose (e.g., you’ve given an “adult” dose to a child) instead of the correct dose of hepatitis A, hepatitis B, or influenza vaccine, inform the patient, parent or guardian of the administration error and document it in the medical record. This dose counts as valid. Although it is unlikely that your patient will suffer any untoward side effects from receiving a “double dose” of vaccine, using larger-than-recommended dosages can result in excessive local or systemic concentrations of antigens or other vaccine constituents. When errors of this nature occur, it is important to assess how the error happened and to implement strategies to ensure they will not be repeated. Administering larger-than-recommended doses of any vaccine does not negate the need for subsequent recommended doses.
If you administer too small a dose
If you’ve administered a pediatric dose or half dose of a vaccine in error, consider the dose invalid and repeat it. Giving less than a full dose might result in inadequate protection. Revaccinate the patient with the appropriate dose according to recommendations specific to inactivated and live-virus vaccines. You may give the additional dose during the same visit if the error is discovered while the patient is still in the office.
If you administer the wrong brand of influenza vaccine
If you’ve administered an injectable influenza vaccine product that is not licensed for use in a child the age of the child you have vaccinated, this is an administration error. In such a case, if you administered the correct dosage to the child, even though it is the wrong product, consider the dose valid and do not repeat it. Inform the patient, parent or guardian of the error and document it in the medical record.
Resources that can help
Here are examples of some strategies you can implement to prevent administering the wrong dose of vaccine:
Store pediatric and adult vaccines in different locations within the refrigerator and clearly mark the vaccine storage containers as “pediatric” or “adult.”
Put the age indication on the container that holds the vaccine boxes in the refrigerator.
Consult the following resources, including "The Rights of Medication Administration." These resources will help you avoid future errors.
Hepatitis A & B Vaccines — Be sure your patient gets the correct dose! from the Immunization Action Coalition
Influenza Vaccine Products for the 2012–13 Influenza Season — Be sure your patient gets the correct dose! from the Immunization Action Coalition
Vaccine Administration: "The Rights of Medication Administration" which is included in CDC’s "Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, aka The Pink Book"
Finally, remember you can report vaccine administration errors confidentially to the National Vaccine Error Reporting Program. which is part of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
2013 ISSUES >> view all
DECEMBER 2013
Handouts for Parents, Teens, and Adults Help Providers Explain the Value of Vaccines
NOVEMBER 2013
At Your Fingertips: Official Vaccine Recommendations and Product Information
OCTOBER 2013
Ask the Experts: Providing Answers to Your Timely and Challenging Influenza Vaccination Questions
SEPTEMBER 2013
Vaccinations and Pregnancy
AUGUST 2013
Temperature Monitoring – The "Vital Sign" for Vaccine Storage
JULY 2013
The End of Hepatitis B Transmission Begins At Birth
APRIL 2013
Recommendations for Use of Meningococcal Vaccines in High-Risk Infants and Children
MARCH 2013
What to Do if the Wrong Dose of a Vaccine Is Administered
FEBRUARY 2013
CDC's 2013 Immunization Schedules and IAC's Easy-To-Use Summaries
JANUARY 2013
Expanded Tdap Recommendations: Administer Tdap to Pregnant Women during Each Pregnancy
 
This page was updated on April 9, 2013
This page was reviewed on April 9, 2013
 
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