Adult Immunization Practices

• Summary of Recommendations for Adult Immunization Chart of currently recommended vaccinations for adults.  (Source: Immunization Action Coalition)
• Adult Immunization Schedule CDC site for immunization guidelines and recommendations for anyone over the age of 18
• Adult Immunization Programs in Nontraditional Settings Report of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee on quality standards and program evaluation
• National Immunization Conference Abstracts Online Abstracts provide information on comprehensive immunization coverage for all age groups and explore innovative strategies for developing programs, policy, and research to promote immunization coverage for all age groups.
• Prevention and Control of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Long-Term Care Facilities  Information that long-term care facilities (nursing homes) can use to establish and maintain a sustainable immunization program for patients and staff, as well as a surveillance program to monitor acute respiratory illnesses.

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Recommendations

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has published guidelines relating to immunization. These ACIP guidelines serve as the authoritative resource for these immunization practices.  The full text of these guidelines can be downloaded here:

• Prevention and Control of Influenza
• Prevention of Pneumococcal Disease
• Immunization of Health-Care Workers

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has also established recommendations on the following:

• Use of Standing Orders Programs to Increase Adult Vaccination Rates
• Adult Immunization Programs in Nontraditional Settings: Quality Standards and Guidance for Program Evaluation.

Immunization Tools and Resources

Sample Forms and Procedures (Click on any title below to view the document described.)

• Sample Immunization Consent Form
• Resident Immunization Record (Adobe Acrobat File)
• List of Residents Vaccinated during the Annual Influenza Immunization Campaign (Adobe Acrobat File)
• Employee Immunization Policy
• Screening Questionnaire for Adult Immunization

Vaccine Information Statements (VIS)
Download the files for the CDC Vaccine Information Statements (VIS):

• Hepatitis B
• Influenza
• Pneumococcal
• Tetanus-diphtheria

For certain immunizations, federal law requires that patients receive a Vaccine Immunization Statement prior to receiving the immunization. For more details, and a comprehensive list of the most current VISs and how to obtain them:

• Click here to view text of legal requirements
• Instructions for Use of VIS (PDF)

Websites

CDC Vaccines & Immunizations - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides leadership for the planning, coordination, and conduct of immunization activities nationwide. This web site contains a wide variety of useful information, including adult immunization resources.

CDC Immunization Site in Spanish - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a web site tailored to the Hispanic/Latino populations, providing information on health-related topics including immunization.

FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System - The Food and Drug Administration maintains an adverse event reporting program for vaccines, called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). Health professionals and consumers are encouraged to report significant adverse effects from vaccines to the FDA.

Immunization Action Coalition - This web site is the home page of the Immunization Action Coalition and the Hepatitis B Coalition. This web site has a variety of resources relating to adult and pediatric immunization. This site is especially rich in resources relating to hepatitis immunization. It also contains many resources that have been translated to a variety of other languages.

Immunization Gateway: Your Vaccine Fact-Finder - This web site, maintained by a publisher called Facts and Comparisons, contains a wide variety of immunization materials, including Canadian resource information.

Institute for Vaccine Safety - This web site is maintained by Johns Hopkins University, and is designed to provide objective information about the safety of recommended immunizations.

IOM Immunization Safety Review - The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has convened an independent committee of experts to review vaccine safety concerns at the request of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. This Committee is charged with making recommendations on appropriate government action on immunization-related issues.

Lumetra - Multilingual tools and materials for health care professionals can be found in this web site. "LifeSavers for Seniors" including charts, postcards, patient education brochures, posters for clinical settings, and wallet-size vaccination records to help older patients to keep track of their shots are available at no charge.

National Network for Immunization Information - This web site provides science-based information to healthcare professionals and consumers on facts about immunization.

National Vaccine Program Office - The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) is designated to provide leadership, oversight, and coordination among Federal agencies, as they work together to carry out the goals of the National Vaccine Plan.  The National Vaccine Program is a collaborative effort that brings together all of the groups that have key roles in immunizations.

NFID Fact Sheets - The National Foundation for Infectious Disease has prepared a series of Fact Sheets about adult immunization. Links to these pages are shown below.

• Facts About Adult Immunization
• Facts About Influenza for Adults
• Facts About Pneumococcal Disease for Adults
• Facts About Hepatitis B for Adults
• Facts About Chickenpox for Adults

Travelers Health – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a web site for those who are considering or planning travel outside the United States. This site includes guidance on immunizations and other health precautions that may be needed for travel to other countries.

Reporting Adverse Events from Vaccines - The Food and Drug Administration maintains an adverse event reporting program for vaccines, called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System). Health professionals and consumers are encouraged to report significant adverse effects from vaccines to the FDA. The telephone number for the VAERS program is: 800-822-7967. A VAERS reporting form can be downloaded here in Adobe Acrobat format, and faxed or mailed to the VAERS office. Or visit the VAERS web site.

Do you have suggestions? Do you have suggestions for immunization resources to be included on this page? Or do you have comments or corrections to make? If so, e-mail your ideas to: immunizations@ascp.com. We will consider all suggestions and make updates as appropriate.