| 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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| How You Can Help Overcome Low Vaccination Rates among Adults |
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| Published
July 2016 |
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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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| The National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC), an expert body that advises the Department of Human Health and Services, has developed national standards with the goal of improving adult vaccination coverage for all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). In 2014, NVAC published "Standards for Adult Immunization Practice." These recommendations call on all healthcare providers — whether they provide vaccinations in their healthcare settings or not — to take steps to help ensure that their adult patients are fully immunized. The four "Practice Standards for All Healthcare Professionals" are: |
- ASSESS the vaccination status of your patients at every
clinical encounter. For providers to do this, they and their
clinic staff need to stay informed about the latest CDC vaccine
recommendations for adults.
- STRONGLY RECOMMEND needed vaccines for your patients.
Clinicians are known to be the most valued and trusted source of
health information for adults. Research shows that most adults
believe vaccines are important and that a recommendation from
their healthcare professional is a key predictor of whether
patients get needed vaccines.
- ADMINISTER recommended vaccines or REFER patients to a
vaccination provider. Make vaccination services in your practice
as convenient as possible for patients. If you do not stock
certain vaccines or if you do not provide vaccines at all, refer
your patients to a specific provider known to have available the
needed vaccines. HealthMap Vaccine Finder is a free, online
service where visitors can search for locations that offer
immunizations. Enter your zip code at
vaccine.healthmap.org.
- DOCUMENT the vaccines your patients receive, whether they
are administered by you or elsewhere. Place that information in
your state immunization registry, if you have one available.
Also, be sure to give your patients a record of their
vaccinations. This is particularly helpful when they see
different providers for different health needs. If you send them
to another provider, follow up with your patients to make sure
they received the vaccines you recommended.
Resources to assist providers with implementation of these
standards for adult immunization practice are available on the
CDC
website.
There are many more resources available from the Immunization
Action Coalition to help vaccinate adults. Here are a few:
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| For Patients (Ready-to-copy handouts for your patients) |
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| For Healthcare Professionals |
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Visit IAC’s
Clinic Resources website on Adult Vaccination for additional
materials. |
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ACIP Recommendations
Vaccine Information Statements 
