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Electronic reminder system for patients with RA improved rates of pneumococcal, zoster vaccinations
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A system-level intervention aimed at improving the rate of vaccination for patients with rheumatoid arthritis at an academic rheumatology clinic increased pneumococcal and zoster vaccinates rates, but not at predicted levels, according to recently published research.
“Although the intervention improved pneumococcal and zoster vaccination rates, the improvement in pneumococcal vaccination rate was less than expected, and the zoster vaccination rate remained low even for ideal candidates,” David W. Baker, MD, MPH, from the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote in their study abstract. “Likely barriers include lack of familiarity and difficulty using electronic reminders and order sets, uncertainty about the value and safety of recommended vaccines, and uncertainty about patients’ insurance coverage and prior vaccination history. Future interventions should include strategies to address these.”
David W. Baker
Baker and colleagues identified 1,225 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in an academic rheumatology clinic. Patients were exposed to a new intervention system for vaccinations. The intervention included optional printed prescriptions for zoster vaccination at an outside pharmacy, physician auditing and feedback, and electronic reminders with linked ordered sets, according to the study abstract.
The researchers noted the self-reported vaccination rate was much higher than the rate reported with the electronic health record at baseline. For the pneumococcal vaccine, the rate of vaccination increased from 28.7% to 45.8% and a regression analysis showed a 9.4% increase per year compared to baseline. For the zoster vaccine, the vaccination rate increased from 2.5% to 4.5% and for patients that were not receiving biologic therapy, the vaccination rate increased from 3% to 6.6%, according to the abstract. – by Jeff Craven
Disclosure: The researchers received support through Pfizer and an NIH grant.
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