Implementation of an Outpatient Pharmacy Flu Vaccination Program for Solid Organ Transplant Patients: Patient Care Enhancement Award, sponsored by Teva Canada Limited

摘要

Introduction: Despite significant morbidity and mortality associated with flu infections in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, flu vaccines remain underutilized in this population. Current SOT consensus guidelines strongly recommend flu vaccination for patients and their close contacts on an annual basis to reduce influenza transmission risk. An SOT pharmacy flu vaccination program was established to improve vaccination education, screening and service accessibility for ambulatory SOT patients, their close contacts and the multidisciplinary transplant clinical team. Methods: A transplant infectious disease specialist and published author of several vaccination consensus guidelines was consulted to ensure appropriate flu vaccination and screening processes specific to SOT patients. Pharmacy program tools, training resources and implementation materials were developed for the 2013-14 influenza season. Vaccination screening and administration were provided to all transplant patients and contacts on a voluntary basis at the institution's transplant specialty pharmacy. Results: A total of 638 flu vaccinations were administered from October 24, 2013 to April 9, 2014. 63% of vaccination recipients were SOT (heart, kidney, kidney-pancreas, liver, lung) patients. The remaining 37% were comprised of family, caregivers, friends and other non-transplant ambulatory patients. No post-vaccination adverse events were observed or reported. Discussion: The success of this pharmacy flu vaccination program has justified future plans to continue this service as a permanent program. Future directions include clinical research evaluating patient outcomes and vaccine immunogenicity in our SOT population, as well as exploring additional strategies to further increase flu vaccination awareness and immunization rates. Conclusion: A significant number of vulnerable patients and close contacts were immunized as a result of this unique pharmacist-led initiative. Implementation of similar pharmacy initiatives can make a positive contribution to raising awareness about the importance of annual flu vaccinations, particularly for high-risk patients.