ResearchPerceptions of Participating Emergency Nurses Regarding an ED Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Program
Section snippets
Setting and protocol description
The study was conducted at the emergency department of an urban, academic, level I trauma medical center with an emergency medicine and a combined emergency medicine-internal medicine residency program. Emergency nursing staffing is as follows: 7-11 am, 9 nurses; 11 am to 3 pm, 12 nurses; 3-7 pm, 13 nurses; 7-11 pm, 13 nurses; 11 pm to 3 am, 10 nurses; and 3-7 am, 9 nurses.
From October 1, 2009, until October 25, 2009, when seasonal influenza vaccine supplies at this center were exhausted
Results
During the protocol trial, there were 3091 eligible patient visits by 2874 patients, with 2884 visits eligible for vaccination screening. A total of 2270 patients (79%) were successfully screened and 613 (20%) received seasonal influenza vaccination in the emergency department. An additional 59 patients received vaccination based on the screening protocol–generated vaccination order upon the patient's arrival at the inpatient nursing unit. In comparison, 90 of 3900 visits (2%) resulted in
Discussion
We report the first survey data of emergency nurses who have participated in a protocol to screen and provide seasonal influenza vaccine to ED patients without additional staffing resources. Unlike previous ED influenza vaccine studies,5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 this protocol was designed to leverage the ED EMR with automated protocol ordering to facilitate vaccination in a manner that might be translated to other emergency departments that may not have additional staff or resources for this service.
Conclusion
We report the first evaluation of an ED seasonal influenza vaccination program by emergency nurses. Influenza vaccination programs provide public health benefit to ED patients and can be profitable. However, emergency nurses should be included in the preparation of the protocols to enhance their acceptance, sustainability, and efficient execution. Our data suggest that adding staff or devising simple screening and documentation requirements will aid in the successful implementation of ED
Acknowledgment
We thank the emergency nurses at Allegheny General Hospital for their great efforts during this trial.
Arvind Venkat, Member, Western Pennsylvania Chapter 061, is Director of Research, Department of Emergency Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
References (11)
- et al.
Influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations in the emergency department
Emerg Med Clin North Am
(2008) - et al.
Influenza vaccination in the emergency department: are our patients at risk?
J Emerg Med
(2009) - et al.
Opportunities not missed—systematic influenza and pneumococcal immunization in a public inner-city emergency department
Vaccine
(1998) - et al.
Factors influencing acceptance of influenza vaccination given in the ED
Am J Emerg Med
(2009) Prevention and control of seasonal influenza with vaccines
MMWR
(2009)
Cited by (13)
Perceived barriers to COVID-19 vaccine administration in Emergency Department
2022, American Journal of Emergency MedicineOperationalizing influenza vaccination in an urban safety-net emergency department
2022, American Journal of Emergency MedicineCitation Excerpt :Other EDs can expect to have similar when results implementing influenza vaccination programs. Like other studies [23-27,33-37], we demonstrated that influenza vaccination campaigns are feasible in the ED. What sets our ED influenza vaccination campaign apart is that it was conducted at one of the busiest EDs in the United States.
Attitudes Toward Influenza Vaccination Administration in the Emergency Department Among Health Care Providers: A Cross-Sectional Survey
2020, Journal of Emergency NursingCitation Excerpt :Among the emergency nurses, 61% (n = 22) supported site ED influenza vaccination in light of current available resources; this result is a higher proportion than the 41% (n = 24) found in a previous United States study.13 This discrepancy may be accounted for by the fact that the US study was conducted immediately following implementation of ED influenza vaccination, and thus the nurses surveyed had feedback regarding what had and had not worked in practice.13 By contrast, this study asked emergency nurses to theorize about potential benefits/concerns.
Should we be vaccinating our patients against influenza?
2020, American Journal of Emergency MedicineVaccine Acceptance During a Novel Student-led Emergency Department COVID-19 Vaccination Program
2023, Western Journal of Emergency Medicine
Arvind Venkat, Member, Western Pennsylvania Chapter 061, is Director of Research, Department of Emergency Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
Roger Hunter is Emergency Department Nursing Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
Gajanan G. Hegde is Associate Professor of Business Administration, Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
Noreen H. Chan-Tompkins is Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Department of Pharmacy Services, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
David M. Chuirazzi is Medical Director, Information Technology, West Penn Allegheny Health System, Pittsburgh, PA.
Jillian M. Szczesiul is Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Department of Pharmacy Services, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA.
Earn Up to 10 CE Hours. See page 109.