30379 Vaccine Communication Safety Curriculum for Medical Residents: Development and National Distribution

Monday, March 26, 2012
Poster Hall
Kris Calvin, MA , Chief Executive Officer, American Academy of Pediatrics, California Foundation
Mark Sawyer, MD , Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, San Diego Immunization Partnership
Clea Sarnquist, DrPH, MPH , Stanford University
Yvonne Maldonado, MD , Stanford University
Wilbert Mason, MD , Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Dean Blumberg, MD , University of California - Davis
Jeffrey Luther, MD , Long Beach Memorial Hospital
Kimberly Ralston, MPH , Provider Services Manager, San Diego Immunization Partnership

  

Background: Due to increasing vaccine refusal physicians need to know how best to effectively address concerns about vaccine safety. Most primary care medical residents receive training on vaccine recommendations and administration, but not necessarily on how to communicate about vaccine safety concerns. In 2009-2011 funded by a CDC/ARRA grant the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Foundation convened a partnership to develop and distribute a multifaceted curriculum for primary care residents focused on effective messages and communication techniques for talking to parents and patients about vaccine safety.

Setting: N/A

Population:  The curriculum is designed for pediatric, family medicine, and internal medicine residents.

Project Description: A survey and focus groups of primary care medical residents identified gaps in vaccine safety communication education. It also provided valuable information regarding their interest in this area and their preferred education strategies. The resulting curriculum was designed in three modules: pediatric, family medicine, and internal medicine. Each contains web-based patient case studies, a small group discussion guide, and a lecture presentation. Pre/post-tests were developed to assess comprehension and attitudes about vaccine safety. The completed curriculum was distributed to all pediatric, family medicine and internal medicine medical residency programs in the United States.

Results/Lessons Learned: Focus groups of primary care residents indicate that it is important to have multiple formats to accommodate different learning styles. Over 97% of the residents participating in pilots of the materials reported that reviewing the cases was a good use of their time and that they anticipated utilizing the information they learned with their patients.  Over 90% reported both improved ability to communicate about vaccination as well as improved comfort level discussing vaccination with patients.  Distribution to over 1,000 primary care medical residency programs was completed, utilizing a personalized approach and varied data sources to identify contacts at each program.

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