Vaccination against hepatitis B in an HIV outpatients' department: an audit against national vaccination guidelines

Abstract

Practice related to hepatitis B vaccination of HIV outpatients in a London teaching hospital was audited against the British HIV Association (BHIVA) immunization guidelines 2004 and 2008, both before and after the implementation of a vaccination record sheet in the patients' notes. Adherence to the guidelines in the original audit was poor - only 67% of patients requiring vaccination for hepatitis B received a full course of vaccination. Following the introduction of the vaccination record sheet, this vaccination completion rate increased to 79% (BHIVA target 95%). Overall the percentage of patients managed according to BHIVA guidelines, including those who did not require vaccination, improved from 33% in the original audit to 61% in the re-audit. Introduction of a simple hepatitis B vaccination record sheet improved the quality of care for our HIV outpatients. Further modification of this system is warranted, perhaps by the introduction of a computerized reminder system.