Establishment and evaluation of scalable COVID-19 vaccine clinics at a large university.

BACKGROUND: Previous large-scale vaccination clinics have been successful before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, owing to the strict storage requirements and pharmaceutical preparation needed for the COVID-19 vaccines, careful thought and planning were necessary to successfully deploy these clinics immediately after vaccine availability. The focus of this manuscript is to describe the development and implementation of COVID-19 vaccination clinics in a large public university, using professionals from within and outside of its health sciences schools. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this project was to (1) implement COVID-19 vaccination clinics for university faculty, staff, students, and community members. Additional objectives of the clinics were to (2) actively incorporate pharmacy, nursing, and medical students into the clinic workflow; (3) promote interprofessional collaboration among faculty and students; and (4) assess patient satisfaction. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: The School of Pharmacy faculty, in conjunction with the Office of Strategic Initiatives, planned and coordinated COVID-19 vaccination clinics from December 2020 to July 2021. Students and faculty from schools of pharmacy, nursing, and medicine were used. COVID-19 vaccinations were offered to university faculty, staff, and students and community members based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention priority groups. The clinic processes were designed such that they could be scaled from 100 to 2,000 participants per day. PRACTICE INNOVATION: The School of Pharmacy led approach was adjustable depending on the number of patients, continuously monitored and adaptable. The importance of pharmacists as part of the interprofessional health care team was exemplified by faculty and students involved. EVALUATION METHODS: All patients receiving COVID-19 vaccinations at the clinics were e-mailed anonymous surveys for assessment of the quality of the vaccination encounter after completion of their primary vaccine series. RESULTS: More than 15,000 COVID-19 vaccinations were provided through the clinics from December 2020 to July 2021. Professional staffing totaled 3352 hours for the 48 clinics. Thirty-eight percent of the vaccinated patients responded to the clinic satisfaction survey with predominately excellent ratings. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 vaccination clinics can be successfully planned and implemented in a scalable fashion in a large university setting using an interprofessional team approach.

Medication Discrepancies During Transitions of Care: A Comparison Study.

PURPOSE: Concerns surround discontinuity of care and poor communication during transitions of care between inpatient and outpatient settings. This study was designed to examine the differences in medication discrepancies during these transitions between an outpatient clinic with admitting privileges (PCP-AD) and another without admitting privileges (PCP-NOAD). METHODS: Retrospective, chart review of patients admitted to the hospital between January and July 2009, who stated their primary care provider (PCP) was from either one of the outpatient clinics. Charts were evaluated for medication discrepancies on admission and discharge and follow-up with PCP after discharge. RESULTS: On both admission and discharge, PCP-AD had a rate of unacceptable discrepancies less than that of PCP-NOAD, 63.4% versus 90.3% (p < .001) and 44.9% versus 84.1% (p < .001) respectively. Patients prescribed more than 10 medications were more likely to have a medication discrepancy compared with those on fewer medications (p = .003). Additionally, 85% of patients from PCP-AD followed up after discharge compared with 62.7% from PCP-NOAD (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The differences between the two groups in medication discrepancies and follow-up are suggestive of increased continuity of care with fewer discrepancies when PCPs are directly involved in inpatient care. A comprehensive and accurate medication history is imperative regardless of practice model.