Promoting Influenza Vaccine Administration in the Pediatric Emergency Department

Background The pediatric population is at high risk of morbidity and mortality from influenza, yet pediatric influenza vaccination rates remain 6 months old, no prior documented influenza vaccine for the current season in our health system or the state immunization registry, and no history of anaphylaxis to a prior influenza vaccine A Best Practice Advisory (BPA) was triggered for eligible patients and the provider ordered the vaccine Manufacturer, lot number, and expiration were entered at the bedside and automatically integrated into the medical record and the state immunization database The rate of influenza vaccination of eligible patients treated in FT was measured by the number of vaccines administered and identification of eligible patients was tracked via the CDS activation of the BPA Discussion Results Twenty percent (3,385/16,666) of the yearly FT volume was seen during the intervention period from 12/1/2019- 2/1/2020;87% (2,966/3,385) were eligible for the influenza vaccine and 22% (649/2,966) of eligible patients agreed to vaccination Institutional challenges included developing a bedside platform to enter vaccine data and placement of vaccine supply close to FT while maintaining FT operational metrics Conclusion The PED offers a unique opportunity to increase influenza vaccination rates in children who represent an undervaccinated population PED vaccination is feasible, and may be even more relevant during a COVID-19 pandemic Utilizing a CDS intervention can help identify eligible patients to vaccinate against influenza and promote vaccine administration