PI: Flu Vaccine

Goal: By March 31, 2018, 45% of eligible clients will have documentation of flu vaccine administration (2017 rate = 27%) 


Why do we want our clients to get flu vaccines? Flu can be fatal for people who are unstably housed and have chronic illnesses. The annual flu vaccine is easy and has the potential to save lives!

2017-2018 Flu Season Results: The 2017-2018 flu season ended March 2018. 35% of eligible clients got a flu shot, which was higher than any previous year but still lower than our goal.

Lessons learned for the next flu season include:

  • We see clients for all types of reasons, not just medical. That’s why we need to involve providers all across the agency to push for flu shots. Therapists, case managers and others can help spread the word and refer clients to get their vaccination.
  • Staff knew to refer their clients to get flu shots, but weren’t always sure how to do it—or when. So case management started reminding non-medical staff about that process. Those reminders helped a lot and could be done regularly.
  • Some clients have already received their vaccination elsewhere, but we aren’t capturing that information. We’re figuring out how to better collect that moving forward.
  • It’s a whole-clinic effort! The West Baltimore clinic, though ending the season just shy of the 44% goal, did far better this year than in the past because everyone—from the front desk staff to the medical providers—asked: Did you get your flu shot?
  • Providers were given daily lists of clients who were coming in that day and still needed a flu shot. They prioritized asking clients to get their flu shot and tracked those results. During that time, the organization often exceeded its 45% goal!
  • Having dedicated “flu clinic” times (such as in the Fallsway lobby during certain times of the week) made client referrals easier, but didn’t change out total numbers much.

Historical Flu Season Results:

Plans for 2018-2019 flu season:

  • The biggest barrier to hitting our 45% goal was reaching clients outside of medical. This current flu season, we’ll prioritize working with non-medical teams to prioritize flu shots
  • Case management has piloted a change in the EHR that allows non-medical providers to see and document a client’s flu shot history
  • In the near future we will be asking all other non-medical departments to use the same system.

Want to get involved in making sure our clients are protected from the flu? Email Cyndy Singletary, Director of Nursing.

 

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