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National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. Together, we can help raise awareness about the importance of vaccination and encourage people to talk to a healthcare provider they trust about staying up to date on their vaccinations.
Patients and parents can feel more confident about vaccinating when everyone in the practice shares the same message. From the front desk to the exam room to checkout, everyone plays an important role in supporting vaccination. Below are best practices to foster support for vaccination in your practice:
1. Make patients and parents aware of your immunization policy.
When you ensure every patient and parent that visits your practice is aware of your immunization policy, you lay the foundation for effective vaccination recommendations.
- Discuss your policy during each patient’s first visit.
- Post your policy in the waiting room.
- Include a copy of your policy in new parent packets.
- Share your policy on your practice’s website.
2. Make vaccine resources easy to find.
Making immunization information readily available saves time by helping patients and parents get their questions answered before they meet with you.
- Provide age-appropriate vaccine educational materials and display posters in the waiting room.
- Include an immunization schedule and other handouts in new patient packets.
- Provide appropriate Vaccine Information Statements (VIS) at every vaccine visit, as required by law.
- Syndicate CDC web content on your website.
3. Review each patient’s vaccination status and prepare them to receive vaccines.
By assessing vaccination status at every visit, you can avoid missed opportunities to vaccinate and reinforce that vaccinations are important.
- Set up a reminder and recall system to prompt clinical staff and let patients and parents know when vaccines are due or when patients miss doses.
- Before each visit, determine which vaccines are due by checking the patient’s immunization history using the state’s immunization information system and your practice’s electronic medical records (EMR) system.
- At sign in, remind patients and parents which vaccines are due.
- Ask parents and patients to complete a screening form or checklist for contraindications and precautions while they’re in the waiting room.
4. Make effective recommendations.
Research has shown an effective recommendation from a healthcare professional is the main reason parents decide to vaccinate.
- Start childhood vaccine conversations early by reviewing the immunization schedule with pregnant women and parents of young infants.
- Review the screening checklist and patient records to determine which vaccines can be administered.
- Start each vaccine conversation with a presumptive statement, assuming patients and parents will choose to vaccinate and explain which vaccines are due.
- Recommend vaccines from your position as a trusted expert.
5. Answer questions and address concerns.
Patients and parents are likely to have questions, even if they already plan to vaccinate. By welcoming and answering questions, you help patients and parents feel supported.
- If a patient or parent is hesitant, talk to them about their specific concerns.
- Listen to any questions from patients and parents and answer them clearly and patiently.
- Share your own experiences, explaining why you chose vaccination for yourself or your children.
- If a patient or parent refuses vaccines, explain the implications of refusing or delaying vaccines and discuss a plan to continue the conversation during future appointments.
6. Implement procedures and policies that help staff support vaccination.
Effective administrative procedures, clear policies, and useful training programs can equip your staff to support vaccination and work efficiently.
- Designate primary and alternative vaccine coordinators to oversee vaccine management in your practice.
- Obtain vaccine storage equipment and vaccine administration supplier as needed.
- Put policies and procedures in place to ensure vaccines are stored, prepared, and administered correctly.
- Keep up to date on CDC immunization recommendations and schedules, published every February and periodically updated throughout the year.
- Make immunization schedules and other clinical resources readily available to all staff.
- Integrate comprehensive, competency-based vaccine training into existing staff education programs, such as new staff orientation.
- Implement standing orders that authorize trained staff to assess immunization status and administer vaccines.
7. Schedule upcoming vaccinations before the patient leaves the office.
Checkout is a key opportunity to reinforce the importance of vaccination and plan for upcoming vaccines.
- Let the patient or parent know which vaccines will be due at the next appointment.
- Schedule a follow-up appointment before the patient or parent leaves the practice.
- Ensure this appointment falls within the recommended timeframe of the CDC schedule.
- If a patient or parent defers scheduling for any reason, offer to call them a few days later.
- Reinforce the importance of completing the vaccine series.
- Offer educational materials to take home and review.
8. Remind patients and parents about upcoming vaccination appointments and missed appointments.
Ongoing communication is essential in making sure patients stay on schedule with vaccinations.
- Make calls, send texts, send emails, or mail postcards to remind patients and parents about the importance of vaccination and note upcoming appointments.
- If a patient or parent comes in for a sick visit, remind them about upcoming vaccines.
- If a patient misses an appointment, call to follow up and remind them about the importance of vaccines.
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