Protecting your Vaccine: Protecting your Patients

It has been estimated that vaccine wastage resulting from improper storage and handling costs the United States Vaccines for Children program more than $20 million yearly. Since vaccines prevent serious, sometimes fatal diseases, the loss can compromise patient safety, affect staff time and patient/provider trust and can also become a liability issue. This program will focus on the public health implications of improper storage and handling and its application to the roles and responsibilities of nurses involved in immunization.