Many parents tend to think of vaccines as something needed for infants and young children, but less important later in life. Vaccination is one of the best ways parents can protect their children from 16 potentially harmful diseases. It’s essential that parents receive education about vaccinations their pre-teen and teenagers should receive as they continue to mature.
What Healthcare Providers Can Do
Success in increasing immunization rates in younger populations is often credited to changes in office practices that frame every visit as an opportunity to update immunizations. The CDC recommends several specific evidence-based practices including:
- Setting up reminders, such as prompts in EHRs to help clinic staff know when adolescents are due for vaccinations
- Setting up reminders for patients to alert them when vaccinations are due or overdue
- Establishing standing orders for vaccines that authorize nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare personnel to assess a patient’s immunization status and administer vaccinations without the need for examination or direct order from the attending provider
- Posting recommendations and having informational materials available
- Communicating with adolescent patients and their parents about the importance of vaccines
What Communities Can Do
The Guide to Community Preventive Services has evaluated strategies to increase community vaccination rates. The Guide recommends that communities implement a coordinated combination of strategies to increase demand for vaccines and ease access for individuals and families. Recommendations for adolescent immunizations include:
- Creating requirements for immunizations prior to entry into school and college
- Establishing vaccination programs in community settings (e.g., Women, Infants and Children (WIC) offices; school and child care programs, etc.)
Vaccination Resources
- Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents through age 18
- Information for Healthcare Professionals about Adolescent Vaccines
- HPV Vaccination Tipsheet for Communicating with Parents
- CDC Online Videos for Communicating with Adolescents and their Families about the Importance of Vaccinations
Great Plains QIN is actively working with providers, patients, partners and stakeholders to implement best practices to increase immunization rates for adults, but many of these same principles cross over and can be applicable to increasing adolescent vaccination rates. Click here to learn how you can partner with the Great Plains QIN and communities in your state to improve vaccination rates for people of all ages.