CTC-RI Hosts Final Adult Immunization Quality Improvement Learning Collaborative for Perinatal and Diabetes Practices

On June 18, CTC-RI held a virtual Adult Immunization Learning Collaborative as part of a nine-month quality improvement initiative funded by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH). The session brought together seven primary care practices that were concurrently participating in two CTC-RI programs: RIDOH MomsPRN and the “Implementing Primary Care and Pharmacy Strategies to Improve Care for Patients with Diabetes” initiative.

Participating perinatal practices included VICTA and Tri-County, while diabetes-focused practices included VICTA, Clinica Esperanza, Brown Health (Hillside Family Medicine and Warren Avenue Primary Care), and MARI (Bristol and East Providence locations).

The Adult Immunization QI project aims to improve adult immunization rates using evidence-based tools of practice choosing, with a shared goal of ensuring that nearly all patients are counseled and receive recommended vaccines. This learning collaborative additionally provided an opportunity for practices to utilize and provide feedback on the Rhode Island Child and Adult Immunization Registry (RICAIR) which has been in use for adult immunizations since 2020.   

The importance of this work is underscored by data showing that:

• People with diabetes face a higher risk of complications from vaccine-preventable illnesses like COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, and infections caused by diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis.
• Pregnant people and their babies are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 and influenza.
• Pertussis (whooping cough) cases are rising across the U.S., reinforcing the urgency of improving vaccine uptake.

The collaborative featured a presentation by Jeffrey Bratberg, PharmD, Clinical Professor at the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy. Dr. Bratberg’s talk, titled “Increasing Vaccine Confidence Among Pregnant People and People with Diabetes,” addressed vaccine hesitancy and offered strategies to improve vaccine communication in clinical settings. With over a decade of experience teaching Vaccine Communication and a strong background in public health advocacy, Dr. Bratberg provided valuable insights for providers looking to improve patient trust and vaccine acceptance. Click here to view his presentation.

Following Dr. Bratberg’s presentation, each participating practice shared updates on their quality improvement efforts, presenting data and lessons learned through their Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. The session provided a collaborative space for shared learning, innovation, and ongoing commitment to improving adult immunization rates. Charts A and B below illustrate practice performance in immunizing patients with diabetes and perinatal patients, while Chart C highlights pre- and post-program performance across key immunization measures. Overall, practices demonstrated significant improvement throughout the course of this initiative.

View Chart A

View Chart B

View Chart C

Looking ahead, we’re excited to continue this work with an extension opportunity for our participating diabetes practices. Thanks to our continued partnership with RIDOH’s Adult Immunization Program, these practices will build on their progress and further advance immunization efforts in the months ahead.