Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Practice nurse attitudes to infant vaccine presentations in the UK

6^th Euro Global Summit and Expo on Vaccines & Vaccination

August 17-19, 2015 Birmingham, UK

Laurence Olding, Ben Gibbons, Ben Greener and Ian Matthews

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Vaccines Vaccin

Abstract:

Introduction: In the UK, infants and children are vaccinated according to the national childhood schedule, which includes
an increasing number of vaccinations. Vaccines used in this schedule may be supplied as, vial plus separate syringe (V+S)
requiring reconstitution or a ready-to-use (RTU)/pre-filled syringe containing the vaccine ready for administration. The aim
was to investigate nurse attitudes to the advantages and disadvantages of using a RTU syringe or V+S for the UK situation.
Materials & Methods: A regionally representative sample of 104 practice nurses in England and Wales, with relevant experience
in the administration of childhood vaccines, completed an online questionnaire. This was conducted by an independent market
research agency abiding by the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. The survey found that it is very important to nurses
that infant vaccines are easy to prepare and use.
Results: On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = ‘I rate it very badly’; 10 = ‘I rate it extremely well’), Practice Nurses rated RTU vaccines
significantly better in being easy to prepare (9.6 versus 6.3), fast preparation (9.5 versus 5.8) and allowing them to spend more
time with infants and families (8.8 versus 6.2) than V+S. Vial and syringe vaccine appointments were reported to take an
average of two minutes longer than ready-to-use, due to the time preparing the vaccine.
Conclusion: Ready-to-use vaccines are convenient and save time compared to V+S vaccines, with the potential for allowing
practice nurses to spend more time in discussions with parents/guardians, as well as helping with the efficiency of vaccination
clinics.

Biography :

Laurence Olding is a Research Director with Bryter. He holds a Master of Research degree and BA (Hons) degree from University of Southampton.