| Technically Speaking |
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| Monthly Column by Deborah Wexler, MD |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| TECHNICALLY SPEAKING |
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| IAC's Free
Workshops on Using Standing Orders |
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| Published
October 2015 |
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| 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. |
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Register today for IAC's free workshops on using standing orders
to streamline your practice and raise adult vaccination rates —
Take A Stand™! |
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Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), with support from Pfizer
Inc., has just launched "Take a Stand™," a new national effort
designed to improve adult immunization rates by increasing the use
of standing orders in medical practices. (Standing orders are
written protocols approved by a physician or other authorized
practitioner that allow qualified healthcare professionals [who
are eligible to do so under state law, such as registered nurses
or pharmacists] to assess the need for vaccination and to
vaccinate patients meeting certain criteria.) |
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Description of workshops |
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| The core of
IAC's project is a series of free-of-charge, interactive workshops
led by national experts, including L.J Tan, MS, PhD, William
Atkinson, MD, MPH, and Deborah Wexler, MD, from IAC, and
Alexandra
Stewart, JD, from George Washington University. Upcoming workshops
will be held in Chicago, IL, Portsmouth, VA, Nashville, TN, and
Little Rock, AR, with 17 additional cities through June 2016.
Physicians, practice managers, nurse practitioners, physician
assistants, and nurses in medical offices that serve adults are
encouraged to attend. |
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| Wondering if
these workshops are coming to a city near you? |
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Adult immunization coverage in the United States needs improvement |
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| Adult
vaccine-preventable diseases contribute to significant morbidity,
mortality and cost in the United States, but adult immunization
rates remain low. Strong evidence supports the use of standing
orders programs to improve these rates, and their use is
recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the Community Preventive Services Task Force. The adoption of this
important intervention, however, may be inhibited by poor
understanding of the benefits of standing orders programs or the
misperception that they are difficult to implement. |
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The workshops are designed to help clinicians and their staff
easily obtain the information and training they need to overcome
these perceived barriers. An additional unique feature of the
training is the availability of one year of email or phone support
for workshop attendees as they implement or enhance a standing
orders program in their practices. |
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| Please “take
a stand” and join IAC at this unique opportunity for medical
practices to improve their adult immunization rates while
empowering staff and streamlining facility operations. |
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Workshop information |
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Related links |
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ACIP Recommendations
Vaccine Information Statements 
