Vaccine preventable diseases remain a serious problem among transplanted patients. Many children remain under vaccinated after a kidney transplant because of a lack of physician comfort with vaccinating immunocompromised children and/or a lack of patient visits with primary care specialists. Also, most pediatricians do not carry the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine since it is not indicated in healthy children. Implementing a vaccination monitoring program in the pediatric kidney transplant clinic could potentially help improve vaccination rates among this high risk group of children.

Objective

To determine the rate of vaccination for the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine in pediatric kidney transplant recipients before and after the implementation of a pneumococcal vaccination monitoring program.

Design/Methods

A retrospective chart review was conducted of children who were followed in an outpatient pediatric kidney transplant clinic from 7/1/2011-7/1/2016. The review was limited to patients 2- 21 years of age at time of the review since pneumococcal polysaccharide is not indicated in children less than 2 years of age. Data were collected using medical records. The pneumococcal vaccination program was started July 1^st, 2012. All patient immunization records were obtained from the PCP and dialysis units and input into the EMR by transplant staff. If indicated, the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine was given in the transplant clinic.

Results

Prior to the July 1st, 2012 start date, there were 28 patients followed in the pediatric kidney transplant clinic. Only 21.4% (6/28) were up to date on this vaccine. After the implementation of the vaccination monitoring program, 66.6% (22/33) were up to date on the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccination by 7/1/2013, and 94.1% (32/34) were up to date as of 7/1/2014, and 100% were up to date by 7/1/2015 (28/28) and 7/1/2016 (25/25).

Conclusions

A high percentage of patients have benefited from a transplant clinic pneumococcal vaccination monitoring program. We are now extending this to include meningococcal conjugate and the HPV vaccines.

CITATION INFORMATION: Sprott K, Nadig S, Twombley K. Successful Implementation of a Pneumococcal Vaccination Program for Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients. Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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