PC2010: Resources to Improve Adolescent Health: An Algorithm for Meningitis Vaccination

Purpose/Objectives: Although two different types of meningitis vaccines (MenACWY and MenB) are available to help protect against meningococcal disease, there are drastic differences in the uptake of these vaccines amongst eligible adolescents and young adults.

A multitude of factors have been observed as to why sub-optimal rates of MenB vaccination exist in the United States. Recent data show that 49% of pediatricians and 69% of family physicians did not discuss the MenB vaccine during routine visits for 16-18-year-olds. This pattern may relate to the fact that 78.2% of 17-year-olds have not received their first dose of a MenB vaccine, as compared to only 11.1% that have not received their first dose of a MenACWY vaccine.

A survey was conducted to better understand gaps in meningococcal vaccination and to inform the development of a new algorithm to support pediatricians and family practitioners in applying CDC/ACIP meningococcal disease vaccination recommendations to support adolescent health.

Design/Methods: We surveyed a national sample of 524 health care providers from across the United States to understand barriers to discussing the MenB vaccine with eligible patients. We used these findings as well as recent peer-reviewed literature to inform the development of a validated tool to aid pediatricians and other health care providers in understanding situations when meningococcal disease vaccination is appropriate as well as strategies to support shared clinical decision-making for the MenB vaccine.

Results: Of the 524 health care providers surveyed, we found that only 68% of healthcare providers routinely discussed the MenB vaccine with their eligible patients; nearly 50% of health care providers were not aware of the correct ACIP recommendation for the MenB vaccine, and school/college not requiring the MenB vaccine was the most frequent reason why healthcare providers did not discuss the MenB vaccine with their eligible patients.

Conclusion/Discussion: Additional support is needed to help health care providers understand and accurately and consistently apply CDC/ACIP meningococcal disease vaccination recommendations. A validated tool (meningococcal vaccination algorithm) has been developed and will be shared with survey participants to use within their clinical practice to help improve gaps in meningococcal vaccination among adolescents.