Date of this Version

1-10-2022

Document Type

DNP Project

Abstract

Background: Seasonal influenza is often considered by many to be a minor inconvenience that can result in temporary discomfort and loss of productivity. While most individuals who contract the flu will experience these outcomes, for high-risk groups including the elderly, pregnant women, and children, seasonal flu can be costly and deadly. For children who are eligible for the vaccine, consent to vaccinate must be provided by parents. Consequently, increasing vaccine uptake in children requires healthcare providers to work with parents and to educate them about the risks and benefits of vaccination. Because vaccination rates among children are often low, a quality improvement project to educate parents about vaccinating their children against influenza was constructed.

Objective: Increasing vaccination uptake in these populations is viewed as an important foundation for reducing the disease and economic burden of seasonal influenza.

Research Method: A quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention approach was selected to evaluate changes in parental knowledge regarding flu vaccination before and after an educational program provided over the telephone.

Conclusion: The results of the project indicate a significant increase in post-intervention knowledge that were statistically significant: p = 0.001. Based on the results, increased parental knowledge should lead to an increase in vaccination rates for children.

Implications: When the results of this project are combined with current evidence on the topic, there is ample support for building practice change that would include parental education to increase knowledge and influenza vaccine uptake for children.

Keywords: influenza, children, parental education, vaccine, quality improvement

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