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Quality Corner: Patient education for respiratory symptoms

It’s the time of year when we begin to see an uptick of respiratory illness. Now is a great time to provide information regarding vaccination, prevention and when to seek care for respiratory illness at patient touch points. Some recommendations:

  • Room signage regarding universal precautions and when/where to seek care.
  • Phone hold messages with immunization information.
  • Use reminders in your EHR to prompt providers and staff to ask about vaccination status.
  • Utilize your EHR to pull high-risk patient lists for outreach via phone, text or portal.
  • If you use online check in, add vaccination status to pre-visit questionnaires.
  • Update your website with patient education, including when to seek care.
  • Immunize.org is a great website for patient and staff education, VIS forms, official CDC vaccine schedule guidance (including catch up schedules), and practice support tools such as standing orders templates for vaccination.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has excellent summaries to prepare for respiratory virus season. For the nuances regarding maternal, pediatric and elderly patients refer to this link.

Who should get COVID, RSV, and influenza vaccinations
Timing of COVID, RSV, and influenza vaccinations

In addition, HIB vaccination rates are lagging behind pre-pandemic levels and pneumonia in adults contributes to hospital utilization. Help reduce the burden of disease and prevent hospitalization by making sure patients are up to date with vaccination.


Pneumonia:
  • PCV schedule for infants: 2, 4, 6, 12-15 months.
  • Recommendations for adults 65 and older and those age 19-64 years with certain underlying conditions can be found here.
Haemophilius influenza type b (HIB):
  • Routine infant schedule: ActHIB, Hiberix, Pentacel, or Vaxelis at 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 months OR PedvaxHIB at 2, 4, and 12-15 months.
  • Infant/pediatric catch-up schedule can be found here.
  • Recommended only for adults with anatomical or functional asplenia (including sickle cell disease) and for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients.