Infant Immunizations in Pediatric Critical Care: A Quality Improvement Project.

INTRODUCTION

Infants with congenital heart disease can be critically ill; prolonged hospitalization is common. The purpose of this project was to create and then evaluate the efficacy of education programs for staff nurses and medical providers aimed at improving infant immunization administration during hospitalization for congenital heart disease.

METHODS

This project used pre- and post-education program chart review to evaluate infant immunization rates at discharge. Pretests and posttests were administered to cardiac care staff to determine knowledge change. Paired t test, chi-square test, and descriptive statistics were used.

RESULTS

The pretest and posttest surrounding the education programs indicated significant knowledge change for both groups. Immunization rates were improved before compared with after the education program (60% vs. 88%, respectively). There was significant improvement in immunization documentation on the discharge summary (p < .001).

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest that customized education presentations to cardiac care staff can increase the administration of recommended immunizations to hospitalized infants and documentation on discharge summaries.