Pertussis Cocooning for Alaska: Development of an Educational Brochure

• Main Author: Ernest, Lisa Lorene
• Other Authors: Peek, Gloanna
• Language: en_US
• Published: The University of Arizona. 2016
• Subjects: Brochure; Cocooning; Infant; Pertussis; Vaccination; Nursing; Alaska
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621034; http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/621034

Background and Significance: Pertussis infection rates have significantly increased in the United States even though pertussis is a vaccine preventable illness. Alaska has been significantly impacted by this disease and is ranked 3rd highest in the nation for infection rates per capita. Infants less than three months of age suffer the highest proportion of infections. The effects of pertussis are most severe in this age group, sometimes requiring hospitalization and causing death. One theorized contributing factor to the increased pertussis infection rates is the transition to an acellular pertussis vaccine. The acellular component of the Tdap vaccine may wane up to 42% a year, thus decreasing coverage from 10 years to approximately three to five years. The increased infection rate and decreased vaccine efficacy necessitates improved education regarding preventative measures. The cocooning vaccination strategy immunizes all eligible individuals in contact with the infant, thus creating a cocoon of protection.Purpose and Specific Aims: This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project addresses the need for improved educational material regarding infantile pertussis prevention for Alaskan families having a baby. Throughout this DNP project an educational brochure is developed, emphasizing the importance of pertussis prevention through cocooning vaccination.Methods: The educational brochure was created using the framework of the Health Belief Model (HBM). The HBM was utilized to structure the information included within the brochure to influence individual health behaviors towards immunization of pertussis through cocooning. Evaluation: Three content experts evaluated the brochure utilizing the Patent Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) auto-scoring tool. Content experts reviewed the brochure and determined the understandability and actionability of the brochure in the form of a percentage. The content expert evaluations all indicated scores of 100%. Conclusion: The brochure created within this DNP Project addresses the educational needs of Alaskan families regarding pertussis infection and the severity of these infections in the infant population. Future implications include brochure production and distribution. The brochure will have the most impact when distributed to maternity units, obstetrical, and gynecological offices in Alaska.