NPAI - National Partnerships for Adolescent Immunization
Study Team Members
Site Principal Investigator
APA Project Director
Additional Investigators
Project Coordinator
- Christina Albertin, M.P.H., B.S.N.
Consultants
- Bill Atkinson, M.D., M.P.H.
- Donna D'Alessandro, M.D.
- Paul Darden, M.D.
- Keith Mann, M.D.
- Edward Marcuse, M.D., M.P.H.
- William Stratbucker, M.D.
The National Partnerships for Adolescent Immunizations grant is a partnership between the University of Rochester, the Academic Pediatric Association, and CDC. It aims to strengthen adolescent immunization delivery through pediatric resident education, development of eLearning modules on quality improvement methodology to evaluate practice changes and dissemination of best-practices.
Background
Within the past decade, new recommendations have been issued to vaccinate adolescents with meningococcal conjugate (MenACWY), tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap), human papillomavirus (HPV) and seasonal influenza vaccines. Despite these recommendations and Healthy People 2020 targets, adolescent vaccination rates have remained suboptimal. In particular, rates of HPV vaccination among both girls and boys are low. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a 3-dose series that has been recommended since 2007 for adolescent girls to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts. The HPV vaccine is now recommended for boys to prevent male cancers (penile and anal cancer) and genital warts. Only 53% of adolescent girls have started the series, and the percentage is much lower among boys. Many who begin the series do not complete it.
Purpose
This CDC-funded project focuses on the central role of healthcare providers in promoting adolescent immunizations, with a special emphasis on HPV vaccine. To fulfill this goal, the University of Rochester has partnered with the Academic Pediatric Association (APA), whose membership includes 2,000 providers in 50 states. APA members provide the bulk of primary care pediatric training to pediatric residents and many family medicine residents and serve millions of children and adolescents in primary care. The APA also has a special focus on low-income populations, which have lower immunization rates. Together, the team is developing an online learning module on improving adolescent immunization rates through quality improvement methodologies, implementing a Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative with 12 academic medical centers to improve HPV vaccination rates, and developing parent educational materials on HPV vaccination.
Study Aims
- Strengthen provider recommendations about adolescent immunizations through education on the value/safety of immunizations and improved communication with parents.
- Implement evidence-based strategies to improve adolescent immunization delivery through quality improvement (QI) activities and practice changes (e.g. reduce MOs).
- Disseminate widely best tools in adolescent immunization delivery