Quality improvement in critical access hospitals: addressing immunizations prior to discharge.

Context: Many patients hospitalized in critical access hospitals (CAHs) are at high risk for influenza and pneumonia. These hospitalizations may represent a missed opportunity to address immunizations. Addressing these missed immunizations could provide an opportunity for CAHs to gain practical experience in data-driven quality improvement.

Purpose: To improve documentation and delivery of influenza and pneumococcal immunizations prior to hospital discharge and provide CAHs with quality improvement experience.

Methods: We recruited 17 CAHs in Kansas to participate in a rapid-cycle quality improvement project to address inpatient immunizations. Each hospital identified patient discharges on a monthly basis and abstracted medical records to see if the patient's immunization status had been assessed and if patients had been vaccinated prior to discharge.

Findings: Documentation of influenza immunization status improved from 17% of admissions at baseline to 62% at follow-up (P < 0.001). Documentation of pneumococcal immunization status increased from 36% at baseline to 51% at follow-up (P < 0.001). Documentation of immunizations was significantly higher among the 8 hospitals that developed standard charting forms for recording immunization status (P < 0.01). Despite improved documentation of immunization status, at remeasurement only 3.4% received an influenza vaccination and 1.3% received a pneumococcal vaccination prior to discharge.

Conclusions: Critical access hospitals can effectively participate in quality improvement activities, but increased involvement of medical staff or standing immunization orders may be needed to improve actual vaccine administration prior to discharge.