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doi:10.1111/jpc.12481

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Improving preterm infants’ immunisation status: A follow-up audit Nigel W Crawford,1,2,3 Charles Barfield,4 Rod W Hunt,3,5 Helen Pitcher6 and Jim P Buttery1,7,8 1

SAEFVIC, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI), Departments of 2General Medicine and 5Neonatal Medicine, Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, 6Department of Health, Immunisation Section, 7Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Immunisation Service, Monash Children’s Hospital, Southern Health, 8Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, and 4Neonatal Unit, Mercy Hospital for Women, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3

Aim: Preterm infants are at increased risk of vaccine preventable diseases. An audit in 2007 identified suboptimal immunisation status of preterm infants. The aim of this study was to complete the ‘audit loop’, reviewing preterm infants’ immunisation status at a single tertiary paediatric hospital. Methods: A retrospective follow-up immunisation audit was conducted at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, neonatal unit. The ‘audit loop’ included a preterm infants’ reminder sticker and feedback of the original audit findings to Royal Children’s Hospital health-care professionals. Immunisation status was determined using the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register record for all admitted preterm infants born