Effect of a Computerized Alert on Emergency Department Hepatitis A Vaccination in Homeless Patients During a Large Regional Outbreak.

Background: While the overall incidence of hepatitis A has declined markedly since the introduction of a vaccine, sporadic cases and outbreaks of the disease continue to occur.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic health record (EHR) provider alert as part of an outbreak-control vaccination program implemented in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study assessing the impact of a Best Practice Alert (BPA) built into an EHR to prompt providers when a patient was homeless to consider hepatitis A vaccination in the ED.