Test Yourself: What Adult Needs What Vaccine?

Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD

August 06, 2014

Assessing Vaccine Status in Adult Patients

Adult immunizations are one of the simplest preventive interventions we can incorporate into our practices, and they bring tremendous value to our patients. Unfortunately, however, vaccination can fall to the bottom of the "to-do" list during a health encounter, particularly with adults who have other problems to be managed during a visit. Several key points must be kept in mind:

Adult vaccination rates are unacceptably low;
There are many missed opportunities for vaccination; and
Adults think vaccines are important but often are not aware that they need vaccines, so they rely on their healthcare professional's recommendations.

Although it can be a challenge to fit prevention into a busy clinical practice, successful adult immunization and prevention programs within your practice can be accomplished most effectively by engagement of the entire office team. The key steps in a successful vaccination strategy are assess, recommend, administer/refer, and document.

We invite you to test your vaccine knowledge by taking this case-based assessment challenge. And keep your eye out for a series of cases to be posted over the coming months that will provide a refresher on all steps in achieving vaccination success.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Next Section

Developed in collaboration with the Immunization Action Coalition and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Cite this: Robert H. Hopkins. Test Yourself: What Adult Needs What Vaccine? - Medscape - Aug 06, 2014.

Comments

Commenting is limited to medical professionals. To comment please Log-in.

Comments on Medscape are moderated and should be professional in tone and on topic. You must declare any conflicts of interest related to your comments and responses. Please see our Commenting Guide for further information. We reserve the right to remove posts at our sole discretion.