Abstract
Background: Nearly 20% of infections in adults receiving dialysis are due to pulmonary causes. Streptococcal pneumoniae is the most common pathogen responsible for more than half of community-acquired pneumonia in this population. Despite a strong recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the pneumococcal vaccination (PV) rate remained suboptimal at 18.8% among those receiving dialysis. Purpose: To determine the baseline PV rate and assess the impact of patient education on various components of the Health Belief Model (perceived benefits, barriers, susceptibility, and severity) and the PV rate in adults receiving hemodialysis in acute care. Methods: Sixty-nine eligible adults were included, and their baseline PV status was determined by reviewing vaccination records. Six of the 51 patients who received less than the recommended doses or never received a PV participated in the educational intervention. Their perceptions regarding pneumococcal disease and vaccines were assessed using a validated pre- and post-test questionnaire. PV status was determined one month after education. Results: The baseline PV rate was 26.1%, and there were no associations between demographic variables and PV status. Following education, there was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in perceived barriers, susceptibility, and severity to pneumococcal disease and its vaccines, and their PV rate increased from 0% to 50%. Conclusion: Most adults receiving hemodialysis were not current on their PV status. Education significantly increased the perception of pneumococcal disease and its vaccines with improvement in vaccination rates.