Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Toolkit

The Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Toolkit aims to empower members of the patient care team by providing a comprehensive and accessible resource that enhances their knowledge of immunization practices. This toolkit seeks to serve as a valuable reference guide, equipping healthcare professionals with the necessary information to educate themselves on current immunization recommendations, guidelines, and resources. Through this toolkit, the goal is to empower the care team to engage effectively in patient conversations, promoting informed decision-making and fostering a collaborative approach to ensuring optimal childhood and adolescent immunization coverage.

The Objective

This toolkit aims to enhance knowledge and facilitate informed discussions about childhood and adolescent vaccinations. By offering a collection of resources, the toolkit seeks to empower healthcare professionals, caregivers, and support staff with the necessary information to confidently educate themselves and engage in meaningful conversations with patients and their families regarding the importance, safety, and benefits of immunizations. Ultimately, the toolkit aims to contribute to safe immunization practices, increased immunization rates and improved overall community health outcomes.

Intended Audience

This toolkit is intended for the health care team responsible for providing immunization education and administering immunizations to the childhood and adolescent population. Providers, clinical staff, pharmacists, school nurses, public health, coalitions, local health departments who review this toolkit should examine how best to adapt their practices and policies to meet the needs of their patient populations and to adhere to established immunization standards. The intention is not to print off this toolkit in its entirety but to use it as a health care reference tool to help guide conversations with parents and patients around vaccines.

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Immunization versus Vaccination

Male doctor talking with young female patient

The importance of understanding the terms and differences between immunization and vaccination is a good first step. Immunization is a broader term referring to the process of making an individual immune or resistant to a specific infectious disease, either through active or passive immunization. An active form of immunization is known as vaccination. Vaccination involves the administration of a vaccine to stimulate the immune system to develop immunity against a particular pathogen, ultimately preventing the targeted disease. Immunizations can also include antibody products. These are considered passive immunizations. The terms are used interchangeably but it is an important distinction as we now have new immunizations such as the one for RSV.

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How To Use the Announcement Approach and Address Hesitancy

Announcement Approach and Addressing Hesitancy

The purpose of this area is to provide physicians, clinical staff, pharmacists and public health communicators with the strategies necessary to effectively build understanding of and support for childhood and adolescent vaccinations. Because people question vaccinations for different reasons, this section will help medical professionals with background information and practical resources that will help them discuss immunization concerns with parents or patients.

Hesitancy Videos Announcement Approach

Clinician Training and Education

Panel of diverse doctors in a row discussing

Resources

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Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Practices Vaccines for Children (VFC Program)Vaccine Declination Form Storage and Handling

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Wisconsin Specific Resources

Doctor giving a young girl a high-five sitting on her mothers lap

WIR – Wisconsin Immunization Registry Department of Health Services School Requirements Wisconsin Council on Immunization Practices (WCIP)Immunize Wisconsin List of Wisconsin Statewide Immunization Coalitions Health Departments

Patient and Family Resources and Handouts

Resources and Handouts

^{* Updated 02/24 |}REFERENCES

Questions about the Toolkit
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WCHQ welcomes your questions and comments about this toolkit, which is intended to advance collaborative learning, open sharing, and collective improvement. Please contact the WCHQ at info@wchq.org.