Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Committee Chair
Kimberly Budisalich
Subject(s)
Pneumonia--Prevention, Pneumonia--Vaccination, Vaccine hesitancy, Patient education
Abstract
Pneumonia is the leading cause of infectious mortality in the United States. Each year over 100,000 people die from this disease nationally, with over 6,000,000 deaths worldwide. Both young and old are at risk of infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidance on vaccine administration and candidacy. This clinical practice change project sought to increase pneumococcal vaccination rates at an urban family health practice. Nola Pender's Health Promotion Model was used as the guiding nursing theory for this DNP project This was accomplished by assessing patients’ level of vaccine hesitancy and provider-led conversations to overcome vaccine hesitancy. Medical providers were educated on the CDC guidelines for pneumococcal vaccination, risks and benefits of the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20), and methods to overcome vaccine hesitancy in two 1-hour training sessions. Providers took a pre-and-post-test survey before and following education sessions. Scheduled appointments were screened for qualifying patients to receive the PCV20 vaccine who were approached at the time of registration for the office visit. Eligible patients completed the validated generalized vaccine hesitancy survey instrument (GVHSI), a validated instrument, that categorized them into three groups: vaccine-hesitant, vaccine-neutral, and vaccine-motivated. The medical providers were then notified of the vaccine hesitancy status of the patient before the office encounter. Data were collected and analyzed. Vaccine hesitancy scores, provider pre-and-post-test scores, and vaccination uptake rates were analyzed in this project. These data were utilized to assess the impact of provider training, the impact of the provider-led conversation office visit, and the rate of PCV20 in qualified patients. This evidence-based project aimed to increase provider knowledge on vaccine hesitancy, promote the provider-led strong recommendation, and increase the PCV20 vaccination rates. During the implementation phase of this DNP project, 14 providers participated in delivering vaccine recommendations to 138 patients. There were 380 patients seen at the clinic during the intervention phase that qualified for the vaccine with 135 patients participating in this DNP project. A total of 17 patients from this DNP project received the vaccine.
Recommended Citation
Potnis, Nicholas, "Increasing pneumonia vaccine uptake at a family medical practice in Saint Petersburg, Florida" (2024). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). 123.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-dnp/123