Doctor of Nursing Practice Program

• Committee Chair Name & Credentials:
  Laurie Connors, PhD(c), DNP, FNP-BC, AGN-BC
 

 

DNP Project Abstract

Increasing Pneumonia and Shingles Vaccination Rates in Primary Care

Purpose
To improve primary prevention by increasing the rate of pneumonia and shingles vaccination rates by one hundred percent over three months in eligible patients.

Methods
Baseline chart review was conducted which showed 2 of 122 (1.6%) eligible patients received shingles vaccine, and 27 of 225 (12%) eligible patients received pneumonia vaccine. Implementation included increasing supply of vaccines, presentation to providers regarding eligibility for the vaccinations, and plan to inform patients of vaccination recommendations.

Results
Results showed that 59 of 130 (45.40%) eligible patients were given pneumonia vaccination. This is a 378% increase from the pre-implementation pneumonia vaccination rate. Additionally, 34 of 121 (28%) eligible patients were given shingles vaccination, which is a 1750% increase from the pre-implementation rate.

Implications for Practice
This quality improvement project shows that ensuring supply of all vaccinations is important to improve primary prevention. Reinforcing vaccination eligibility criteria to providers as well as informing patients on vaccinations that are recommended can also help improve primary prevention. This implementation can be generalized to other primary care offices. However, preventative interventions can become difficult for providers with heavy workloads, so there needs to be a balance between increasing revenue and quality of care.