148 - Interest in COVID-19 vaccination in an inpatient pediatric population

Poster Number: 148
Publication Number: 148.416

Margaret Rush, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Cleopatra Hyman, Childrens National Hospital, Washington, DC, United States; Rose Szeles, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States; Melanie Anspacher, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC, United States; Alexandra B. Yonts, Children's National, Washington, DC, United States; Claire O. Boogaard, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, United States

Background: Pediatric patients admitted to the hospital are at substantial risk of missed or delayed vaccines. The inpatient setting has traditionally been underutilized as a venue for providing pediatric vaccines. During the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic our hospital began an inpatient vaccination program to provide equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for eligible pediatric patients who were admitted to the hospital.

Objective: Our objective was to describe interest in inpatient COVID-19 vaccination for eligible pediatric patients on hospital admission.

Design/Methods: Our team collected information interest in inpatient vaccination on admission for every eligible patient who was admitted to the hospital from April 27, 2021 until December 1, 2021. Patients who were COVID positive or a person under investigation (PUI) on admission were not screened. If the patient was not already vaccinated the patients and families were able to select if they were interested, not interested or unsure about vaccination during their inpatient stay. As part of ongoing quality improvement work responses to these screening questions were analyzed to describe prevalence and demographics of interest in inpatient vaccination and how these factors changed over time.

Results: During this time frame 1,436 patients were eligible for inpatient vaccination. 1,233 patients had their interest in vaccination recorded on hospital admission. 372 (30%) of these patients were interested, 447 (36%) declined and 414 (33%) were unsure. There were no differences between self-identified race and ethnicity in interest in inpatient vaccination for those screened from April-July 2021 (p=0.12, table 1). Over time the prevalence of patients who were eligible on admission fluctuated in response to changing policies and eligibility criteria. 7% of patients who were unsure and 2% of those who declined on admission received a dose of vaccine prior to discharge.Conclusion(s): Approximately 2/3 of inpatients were either interested or unsure about inpatient vaccination. There was no difference in self-reported race or ethnicity in COVID-19 vaccine interest in our population. Some patients who initially declined or expressed uncertainty about vaccination ultimately received a dose of vaccine before discharge. Given the high prevalence of uncertainty about COVID-19 vaccination, an inpatient admission can be an important venue for education about the vaccine.
Racial and ethnic breakdown of interest in inpatient COVID-19 vaccination as assessed upon hospital admission from April -July 2021Percentages expressed as number of patients of each racial or ethnic group divided by total number of patients screened for interest in each racial and ethnic group. There was no difference noted when comparing interest between groups.
Interest in inpatient COVID-19 vaccine for eligible patients over timeNumber of patients screened who expressed interest, declined or being unsure about inpatient COVID-19 vaccine over time. Interest fluctuated over time as eligibility criteria changed and as the availability of vaccinations increased.