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Success reported with drive-through flu vaccine clinics
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Since the beginning of an annual drive-through immunization program initiated in 1995 at the University of Louisville Hospital, more than 50,000 influenza vaccinations have been given, with no reports of fainting episodes or related auto accidents, according to a study published online.
Ruth Carrico, PhD, RN, associate professor in the department of health promotion and behavioral sciences at the University of Louisville, and colleagues reviewed medical and legal literature and made statistical inferences about the likelihood of fainting following drive-through immunization clinics. According to the data, “the forecasted probability of one adverse event was 0.8% for a 2-day event (20,000 immunizations).”
The CDC’s vaccine reference book, Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases mentions fainting as a risk of influenza immunization. However, according to the researchers, the reference book focused more on traditional settings and doesn’t account for a drive-thru setting where recipients stay seated and are already in a familiar setting.
Carrico and colleagues plan to release a toolkit that describes how communities can develop drive-through immunization clinics. It will include information on how to organize a clinic, how to train and orient staff, how to set-up the clinic and how to evaluate the success. The toolkit will feature experiences and lessons learned from the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and will be available through the University of Louisville Center for Health Hazards Preparedness website: www.publichealthtools.com.
Disclosure: Dr. Carrico reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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