Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Cathleen Colleran-Santos

Abstract

Influenza is the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for 56,000 deaths annually and leading to an average of more than 200,000 hospitalizations every year. Adults 65 years of age and older account for 50% to 60% of influenza-related hospital admissions and an estimated 90% of influenza-associated deaths occur in people age 65 and older. During the 2011 to 2012 influenza season, approximately 50 % of veterans between 45 and 70 years of age refused the influenza vaccine within the metro-area outpatient Veteran Administration (VA) facility in Atlanta, Georgia. The aim of this project was to identify and to identify barriers to influenza vaccinations in veterans. The health belief model was utilized to organize the evidence-based practice data obtain from the literature reviews on the barriers to the influenza vaccine. An Influenza vaccination educational pamphlet was developed using data obtained from the literature reviews. No information was obtained from the veterans. The educational pamphlet listed the identified barriers and ways to overcome the barriers to the influenza vaccination. The influenza vaccination educational pamphlet will be utilized by veterans and staff in the outpatient clinic. The pamphlets will to be placed in the veteran's waiting areas, medication rooms, and lobby areas prior to the beginning of the influenza season at the end of September. The organization's outpatient quarterly influenza data report will be utilized to disseminate the results to the educational tool's effectiveness after implementation at the end of the influenza season in May. The social impact of solving this issue is the opportunity to decrease the major infrastructure demands placed on the healthcare system as well as human suffering caused by influenza.

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