The ASN Adult Immunization Project (AIP) continued its work with the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) on a grant provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On February 3, 2023, the AIP Steering Committee hosted a virtual focus group with 32 participants, many of whom represented the dialysis corporations and facilities involved in the project.
Participants included were from the following categories:
Patients (n = 4)
Physicians (n = 4)
Nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, clinic directors, and administrators (n = 12)
Steering Committee members serving as breakout moderators (n = 4)
ASN staff (for note taking and support) (n = 8)
The event was 90 minutes in length and included the following program:
Welcome by Rebecca J. Schmidt, DO, FASN, AIP Steering Committee Chair
Keynote presentation: “mRNA as Medicine” by Melissa J. Moore, PhD, from a recording made at 2022 Kidney Week
Breakout sessions by group (kidney professionals in three groups and kidney patients in one group)
Breakout discussion transcripts were reviewed and coded against seven concepts (Table 1). Preliminary data from the ASN AIP Focus Group revealed the frequency of discussion for each concept (Figure 1).
AIP Focus Group: Concepts and questions
AIP Focus Group: Frequency of concepts discussed
Citation: Kidney News 15, 10/11
A significant amount of information was acquired from this event, which continues to inform the work of the AIP. In response to the focus group, the AIP Steering Committee is developing the following material to address the needs communicated during the breakout sessions:
A guidebook on “How to be a Vaccine Advocate” for staff and patients
Videos from kidney professionals and patients sharing vaccination experiences and reasons for choosing a vaccine
Visual materials, such as posters, for display at dialysis units, physician offices, patient areas, or other locations
Guidance on how to work with state immunization information systems to maximize the utility of these systems at the patient and facility levels
By September 2023, ASN had completed its recruitment of dialysis corporations and facilities for this initiative. Project partners represent large, mid-size, and small dialysis companies across the United States. Onboarding and quality improvement interventions with new dialysis corporations and facilities will occur through the fall, just in time for the 2023–2024 influenza season.
ASN is looking forward to improving processes around the CDC Standards for Adult Immunization Practice (SAIP), increasing immunization rates, and sharing knowledge through this exciting collaborative quality improvement effort with the CMSS and the CDC.
Visit the Adult Immunization Project webpage for updates, information, and materials: https://epc.asn-online.org/projects/aip/.
