COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER PHARMACIST'S IMPACT ON LATINO IMMUNIZATION RATES

Author(s)

Jiang S1, Padilla ME2, Barner JC1, Hardamon V1, Rivera JO21The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, 2University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, USA

OBJECTIVES: Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) emphasized the use of community services for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Pharmacists are in a unique position to help with this goal. This study compared national immunization rates to immunization rates of Hispanic patients receiving clinical pharmacist interventions in a community health center (CHC). METHODS: El Paso CHC Latino patients who were referred to a clinical pharmacist for diabetes and met immunization criteria between January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010 were included. The pharmacist documented whether or not the patient met criteria for Hepatitis A (HepA), Hepatitis B (HepB), Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap), Pneumococal, Zoster and Influenza vaccines. If criteria were met and patient consented, the vaccine(s) were administered. Vaccination rates were calculated by dividing the number of patients vaccinated by the number of eligible patients. Study immunization rates (SIRs) were compared with the latest available (2009) national overall (OIRs) and the Hispanic immunization (HIRs) rates.  RESULTS: For included patients (N=336), HepA SIR was 32.7%, which was higher than both the OIR (9.8%) and HIR (8.5%). The Zoster SIR (10.1%) was similar to the OIR (10.0%), but higher than the HIR (4.8%). The Pneumococal SIRs (46.2%: 19-64 years; ≥65 years: 39.4%) were higher than HIR in both age groups (12.1%, 40.4%, respectively). It was only higher, however, in the overall group aged 19-64 years (17.5%), but not in the ≥65 age group (60.6%). The influenza SIR was 27.1%, which was higher than the HIR (22.0%), but lower than the OIR (33.6%). The SIR for HepB (14.6%) and Tdap (42.0%) were lower than both national rates (HIR:41.8%, 36.7%; and OIR:50.8%, 48.7%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist’s immunization rates among Latino patients were higher when compared to Hispanic national rates for HepA, Zoster, and Pneumococal and influenza. Community pharmacists can play an instrumental role in reducing infectious diseases health disparities.

Conference/Value in Health Info

2012-06, ISPOR 2012, Washington, D.C., USA

Value in Health, Vol. 15, No. 4 (June 2012)

Code

PIN7

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health

Disease

Infectious Disease (non-vaccine), Vaccines

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