P2D262: Title: A Quality Improvement Project to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Rates and Address Barriers to Immunization in the Pediatric Population

Purpose/Objectives:

Background:



Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, COVID-19 continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality in children due to vaccine hesitancy, systems barriers, and misinformation. Our quality improvement study aimed to increase vaccine availability and minimize barriers to best serve our pediatric patients.



SMART AIM

To improve the rate of first dose COVID vaccine completion in patients for whom a vaccine order is placed in the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Division of Primary, Complex Care, and Adolescent Medicine outpatient clinic from a baseline average of 44% to >80% within 6 months and sustain for 1 year.

Design/Methods: Methods:

Prior to having the vaccine available in our clinic, a baseline was established by assessing the proportion of vaccinations ordered versus vaccinations administered at our facility’s drive-through vaccine pod or other community sites. Subsequently we employed interventions such as establishment of in-office vaccination and providing educational materials through sequential PDSA cycles corresponding to various age groups and dose numbers.

Results:

Results:

Between September 2021 and August 2022 there were 489 orders placed for Dose 1 of the COVID vaccine. Within one month of offering in-clinic COVID-19 vaccines to eligible patients, our completion rate of ordered first-dose immunizations to patients 5 years and older had increased from 44% to 72% between March and April of 2022. After introduction of our informational newsletter in April 2022, this number (72%) continued to rise to well-above our initial goal of 80% completion, reaching 89% completion by May 2022.

Conclusion/Discussion:

Conclusion:

Our data demonstrate the benefit of offering immediately available COVID-19 vaccines compared to patients’ previous, less convenient option which required them to make an additional appointment at a separate location for administration of the vaccine. It also highlights how providing useful, tangible information can optimize parental and patient comfort with the vaccine. By providing these things, we optimize convenience, transparency, accessibility, and likelihood of vaccinations; resulting in increased protection of our pediatric patients against COVID-19.