Encouraging Your Practice to Improve Maternal Vaccination

Vaccination is a team effort. It requires everyone in your practice—clinicians and support staff—to be involved in the following steps:

1. Routine assessment of patient vaccination status
2. Education and recommendation of needed vaccines
3. Referral or administration of vaccines
4. Documentation of administered vaccines

Sharing these responsibilities across the patient care team reduces burden on clinicians, and ensures that patients hear a clear, consistent message about the importance of vaccination from the whole practice.

3 tips for creating a team-based approach:

1. Get your team on the same page about the importance of maternal vaccination.
2. Create a standardized process for patient vaccination with clear roles and responsibilities.
   For example:
   • Use standing ordersexternal icon to designate authorized staff to assess whether patients are due for vaccination and administer needed vaccines.
   • For vaccines you don’t stock, designate a staff person to follow up with patients to confirm whether recommended vaccines were received and document accordingly.
3. Make sure your team has the training and resources they need to take on their respective roles.