Embargoed for release at 6 a.m. on March 1, 1999
Contact:
Laura Gore
(202) 728-0610, ext. 3009
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NEW STUDY FINDS VACCINATION PROGRAM POTENTIALLY SAVES MONEY AND LIVES
Washington, DC -- A new study of an emergency department-based pneumococcal vaccination program found it resulted in considerable cost savings and decreased mortality, according to the March issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine. Copies of article may be obtained from the Washington Office of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT-BASED PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION PROGRAM COULD SAVE MONEY AND LIVES
A study of hospital records from 188 patients found that more than half the patients (104) admitted with pneumococcal bacteremia (PB) -- a severe pneumococcal disease caused by bacteria -- were seen in the emergency department less than 6 years before their admission.
More than two-thirds of the patients (91 patients or 88 percent) had been evaluated in an emergency department an average of 3.4 times during the 6-year period and would have been good candidates for vaccination (e.g., age over 65, diabetic, or having a malignancy, renal failure, or congestive heart failure). Nine patients died before they were discharged. Pneumococcal vaccine is effective for 72 months, or 6 years, after administration.
"With nearly 100 million visits each year to the emergency department, fewer than 20 to 25 percent of patients at high risk for pneumococcal disease are receiving the vaccination for pneumococcus," said Dr. Steven J. Stack of the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. "The emergency department offers an opportunity to increase the number of people receiving the vaccine, which can prevent 56 to 69 percent of the cases of this potentially fatal disease."
Dr. Stack also said the emergency department historically has been used for delivering vaccines to prevent infections such as tetanus and rabies, but that pneumococcal disease and influenza occur much more commonly than either tetanus or rabies.
The study calculated the disease could have been prevented in 44 patients, reducing the number of people who died to three and resulting in a cost savings of $492,800. When factoring in the costs of the program ($10 per vaccine or $65,420), the study found the net cost savings to be $427,380.
OTHER ARTICLES
-- The Hospital ED as a Social Welfare Institution.-- An article examines the social role of the hospital emergency department in an era of reform, stating that the emergency department is perhaps the only local institution where professional help is mandated by law, with guaranteed availability for all persons, all the time, regardless of the problem.
-- NHTSA Develops World's Most Powerful Research Simulator.-- The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reports on the National Advanced Driving Simulator, a 450 million research tool that will define a new standard in high-fidelity driving simulation and enable engineers, scientists, physicians, pharmacologists, and others to investigate the complex interaction between the driver, vehicle, and roadway environment.
-- Early Defibrillation Programs Policy Statement.-- ACEP endorses the widespread availability of automatic external defibrillators and the implementation of early defibrillation programs coordinated with emergency medical services delivery systems to ensure the following: immediate activation of the EMS system for the ventricular fibrillation victim, immediate delivery of CPR, early defibrillation by the first designated responder to arrive on the scene, timely provisions of Advanced Life Support, rapid transport to an emergency medical facility, and medical direction of all components including the AED program.
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Annals of Emergency Medicine is the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians, a national medical society representing nearly 20,000 physicians who specialize in emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to improving the quality of emergency care through continuing education, research, and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, and a Government Services Chapter representing emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.
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