Vaccine Effectiveness Of The Shingles Vaccine Essay

Implementing immunizations into the clinics can be challenging for the facility and the staff. There are several methods that have been implemented to monitor the methods used by the staff to give the immunizations to the patients in the clinics. There have been several obstacles and challenges that the staff and leaders have faced. As with any changes that take place in patient care within an organization methods must be set up to monitor those changes. Changes promote challenges not just to staff leaders but the organization as a whole. Communication with any changes can be challenging for

Healthcare plays a crucial part in our lives. Health disparities “phrase references black-white differences as well health disadvantages characteristic of other ethnic groups “of color,” such as Hispanics, Asians, and Native Americans” (Coreil, 2010 p. 167). Many socio-ecological factors that contribute to the existence of health disparities when it comes immunizations. An individual ability to have access to health care, insurance status, income level, provider and patient knowledge have a significant impact on vaccination rates.

The Oscar G. Johnson Medical Center in Iron Mountain, MI does not mandate flu vaccinations (Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, 2013). Influenza vaccinations are offered to all employees of the medical center free of charge. Targeted groups include all persons at least six months of age, residents of long-term care facilities, healthcare workers, and people who care for infants less than six months of age (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2006). People with a history of Guillain – Barre, are moderate to severely acutely ill, or persons with allergies to eggs should not be given the vaccine without a physicians order. Employees are encouraged to prevent the transmission of communicable disease by using proper hand washing, avoiding homes and people who are ill, covering coughs and sneezes into a tissue or sleeve, proper disposal of used tissues, practicing cleanliness, staying home when ill, avoiding contact with mucous membranes, and utilizing masks when caring for ill people.

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is a national non-profit advocacy organization established in the early 1980s in an effort to create transparency and dialogue regarding childhood immunizations (NVIC, 2016). The NVIC is one of the most prominent consumer led organizations that have led the pursuit of “advocating for vaccine safety and informed consent protections in the public health systems” (NVIC, 2016, para.1). The NVIC advocates for an

There is also a vaccine recommended to anyone 50 and older to help prevent the outbreak of shingles.

The next set of recommended vaccines for adults are from the age of 60 and older. The elderly are exposed to many diseases due to weakened immune systems. According to the CDC 1 million adults are exposed to shingles and about 60 percent are hospitalized due to the influenza virus (CDC, 2016). They recommend getting the Flu vaccine, Varicella and Zoster vaccine to protect against the two previously mentioned. Another vaccine that is important is the Td or Tdap which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis. The pneumococcal vaccine protects the elderly against the bacteria that causes pneumonia.

Anyone who needs new shingles on their roof knows that this is an expensive investment. There are so many different types of shingles to choose from that it is nearly impossible to make an informed decision.

Finally, there is a vaccine that has been shown to reduce the number of cases of shingles in patients over the age of 60 known as Zostavax. This is a one-time vaccine used to actually prevent the disease. It is given subcutaneously in a patient’s arm. It is important to educate the patient that even though it is a proven immunization for fighting shingles, Medicare Part B (the patient’s medical coverage) does not cover the vaccine. The patient may have Part D coverage (prescription coverage) that will cover the vaccine, however, it must be given at a pharmacy, not a physician’s office or clinic setting. This is confusing for the patient, causing some of them to forego the vaccine altogether. Some patients believe that once they have had the shingles they do not need to get the vaccine. However, this is untrue. As this is a virus that stays within the body even after an outbreak, the best way of preventing further outbreaks is with the immunization. If a patient presents with active skin lesions, the vaccine literature advises waiting until resolution of these lesions prior to receiving the vaccine. As our children have an immunization schedule, it is now becoming practice that our aging adults also have an immunization schedule. This schedule now includes pneumovax (pneumonia vaccine), influenza vaccine, TDaP (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis)

The immune system weakens with age, which makes seniors more susceptible to contracting seasonal influenza. Over ninety percent of deaths from the flu happen to those over 65 years of age. Seniors have the option of getting the regular flu vaccine or a higher-dose shot that results in a stronger immune response.

Prior to reading the article I had an idea of what shingles was, and heard some information regarding the epidemic of shingles, but never knew exactly what it was. While reading the article I discovered that shingles is a viral infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, which is actually the same virus that produces chickenpox that produces a painful skin rash within the host. Since shingles is a part of the herpes family it usually appears as a strip of blisters anywhere on the body.

The topic of the article is the influence of a quality improvement learning collaborative program with a team functioning in primary healthcare. The purpose of this article is to study the impact of the learning collaborative program on the growth of interdisciplinary team functioning within participating Primary Health Care teams. The main issue discussed in this article is improving efficiency in a primary health care setting and improving the efficiency of the team; the employees.

In 2007 South LA Health Projects created the Immunize LA Families Coalition, which worked to increase immunization rates across the lifespan among African Americans and Latinos in South Los Angeles.1 Immunize LA Families was a sister program of another successful program, Immunize LA Kids, which ran from 1999-2007.2 Immunize LA Families worked with community centers, churches, community organizations, and residents to increase social acceptance of immunizations and access to vaccinations.1 The Immunize LA Families Coalition was composed of representatives from public and private agencies, local clinics, faith-based organization, and the community.1

Shingles are more likely to show up in adults who have had the chickenpox in their childhood. The shingles are caused by a viral infection known as the varicella-zoster virus. This virus is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses (herpes zoster). Although shingles is part of this group, it is not the same in that it is not a virus that is responsible for sexually transmitted diseases. Shingles can be very painful and cause many types of infections, but it is not life-threatening and it is treatable.

The implementation of the program would contract barriers to immunization. If access is a barrier to receiving immunizations a partnership could be started to provide transportation or temporary clinics could be set up with the help of the Department of Health and local health care providers. The Healthy People 2020 incisive even suggest clients with an incentive reward. That reward could be financial or aid, such as baby products or food vouchers (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2015).

Thesis Statement: Recently, the United States has seen a resurgence of many different diseases that we haven 't seen in decades. Much of this problem is caused by failure to get vaccinations, and a key step to solving the issue is education.