Paper
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Evidence-Based Practice for Community Outreach Programs: Focus on the Introduction of a New Vaccine
Donna M. Hallas, PhD, APRN, BC, CPNP, Lienhard School of Nursing, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, USA and Mary Beth Koslap Petraco, MS, APRN, BC, CPNP, Pediatrics, Suffolk County Department of Health, Amityville, NY, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: Describe evidence-based practice guidelines for community outreach educational programs |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify strategies to enhance public initiatives to reduce the incidence rate of diseases |
Community outreach educational programs to reach the at-risk populations are an integral part of pubic health initiatives to reduce the incidence rate of disease. The implementation of best practice guidelines is imperative to the success of these programs. In this study an extensive literature search was completed to find the best evidence for the implementation of successful community outreach educational programs. This study was then designed utilizing the best evidence to introduce the parents of high risk children from 2-months-old to 5-years-old to the advantages of having their children receive the pneumococcal 7-valent vaccine, Prevnar, for the prevention of pneumococcal meningitis. The educational outreach program continued for six months and was followed by an evaluation of the program by analyzing the number of children who received the vaccine at two community-based health care centers. Outcome data revealed that 94% of the children whose parents attended an educational program on this vaccine received some of the recommended doses of the vaccine. Not all recommended doses of the Prevnar vaccine could be administered since vaccine shortages were reported shortly after the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine and these shortages have continued over the past four years. However, despite the shortage of the vaccine, outcome data revealed that children who received their primary health care in the pediatric ambulatory care centers under study had no reported cases of pneumococcal meningitis in children who ranged in age from 2-months to 5-years-old. In summary, implementation of community outreach educational programs to meet the needs of high risk populations using an evidenced-based approach for design, implementation, and program evaluation represents best practice for community health nursing practice.