CDC Offers New Resources to Help Health Care Providers with Vaccinations

For individuals who get vaccinated, one of the greatest risks is not the risk of an adverse reaction to the vaccine itself, but rather the risk of an injury resulting from an error during the vaccination process. Awareness of shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) has grown significantly in recent years, and in 2018 approximately half of all vaccine injury claims involved SIRVA.

Best Practices for Avoiding Shoulder Injuries Related to Vaccine Administration (SIRVA)

Vaccine-related shoulder injuries are avoidable. In an ideal world, they simply would not happen. Unfortunately, as the data show, errors during routine vaccinations are alarmingly common; and, to help protect vaccine recipients the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published a number of resources designed to help health care providers administer vaccinations appropriately. These include:

• General Best Practice Guidelines for Immunization: Best Practices Guidance of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
• Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (the “Pink Book”)
• How to Administer Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Vaccine Injections
• Administering Vaccines: Dose, Route, Site, and Needle Size

VaxAdvisor and Catch-Up Job Aids: Additional Resources for Health care Providers

In addition to resources designed to help health care providers avoid vaccine-related injuries, the CDC maintains an extensive library of additional resources for health care providers as well. This includes online and print publications, as well as apps and other technology tools. Recently, the CDC announced the release of two new tools designed to help health care providers determine when patients need vaccines:

• PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor – PneumoRecs VaxAdvisor is a mobile app for iOS and Android devices that, “helps vaccination providers quickly and easily determine which pneumococcal vaccines a patient needs and when.” According to the CDC, “[t]he app incorporates recommendations for all ages so internists, family physicians, pediatricians, and pharmacists alike will find the tool beneficial.” By entering a patient’s age, health condition, and vaccine history, health care providers can determine if vaccination against pneumococcal disease is recommended under the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) vaccination schedule.
  

• Childhood Immunization Schedule Catch-Up Job Aids – The CDC’s Childhood Immunization Schedule Catch-Up Job Aids are designed to, “help health care providers easily navigate information about four of the vaccines in the childhood immunization catch-up schedule. They enable providers to look at the current age of the child and the number of previous doses they have had, and then show when the next dose is due.” The vaccines covered in the catch-up job aids are DTaP, Tdap, pneumococcal vaccine and haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

In addition to serving as important practice tools for health care providers, these resources can be informative for parents and other adult vaccine recipients as well. If you have concerns about a vaccination error, we encourage you to read: Should You File a Claim Under the VICP?

Speak with Vaccine Injury Lawyer Leah V. Durant

Our firm provides nationwide legal representation for individuals diagnosed with SIRVA and other vaccine-related injuries and illnesses. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a vaccine-related injury or illness, we invite you to call 202-800-1711 or contact us online for a free initial consultation.

Leah Durant Bio

Experienced litigation attorney Leah Durant focuses on representing clients in complex vaccine litigation matters. Leah Durant is the owner and principal attorney of the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC, a litigation firm based in Washington, DC. Leah Durant and her staff represent clients and their families who suffer from vaccine-related injuries, adverse vaccine reactions and vaccine-related deaths. The Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC is dedicated to assisting individuals in recovering the highest level of compensation as quickly and efficiently as possible. To learn more, contact vaccine attorney Leah Durant today.