Network 12 hepatitis B vaccination quality improvement program: An educational program directed at physicians, staff, and patients

Hepatitis B is easily spread via contact with infected blood. Hemodialysis patients and staff are particularly at risk for acquiring hepatitis B. Cons equently, vaccination of hemodialysis patients and staff is strongly recomm ended. However, the vaccination rate among dialysis patients in this countr y remains below 50%. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 12 developed a quality improvement project directed at increasing patient vaccination by r egular surveys, reports, and education of physicians, staff, and patients. Seventy-seven percent of facilities in the 4-state Network participated. Ov erall vaccination rate increased from 66.9% to 73.2% over 18 months (P < .0 5). The greatest improvement was seen among units with less than 60% of pat ients vaccinated initially, with mean facility vaccination rate increasing from 31.2 <plus/minus> 20.5% to 57.5 +/- 30.1% in the last available data p eriod (P < .001). Only 3 of these 29 units failed to improve. The 90 units that had 60% to 97% vaccination rates initially improved significantly from 79.8 <plus/minus> 9.6% to 82.4 +/- 15% (P = .015). Three quarters of these units showed improvement. Only units with 100% vaccination deteriorated, b ut still maintained vaccination rates of 74.5 +/- 25.6%. An education-based quality improvement project can improve the hepatitis B Vaccination rate o f hemodialysis patients. (C) 2000 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.