Improving School Vaccinations for Adolescents With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Person‐Centred Approach

ABSTRACT

Aims

This article investigates school vaccination for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disability through the lens of person-centred care principles.

Design

This is a theoretical framework analysis in which qualitative interview data were mapped to the principles of a Person-Centred Practice Framework.

Data Sources

Data were drawn from Vax4Health, an empirical study that aims to improve vaccination uptake and experiences for adolescents with disabilities.

Methods

Our four-step process included: identifying elements of the school vaccination programme that relate to the Framework domains; mapping programme capacities and challenges by each domain; identifying key factors influencing person-centredness; and synthesising these key influencing factors into three themes.

Results

We extrapolated three themes: (1) Parents and students expressed strong support for the programme, but there is potential to enhance their participation in vaccination decision-making processes. (2) Nurses bring high levels of motivation, clinical experience, empathy and creativity to vaccinate students, but opportunities remain to enhance disability-specific training and knowledge of individual students' needs. (3) Special schools are committed to supporting families and facilitating the programme, but limited resourcing and unclear responsibilities present challenges that need addressing. We discuss how these themes relate to the five domains of the Framework. Key considerations for vaccination programme improvement towards a more person-centred approach are highlighted.

Conclusion

Applying the Framework to the findings of the Vax4Health study identified a range of opportunities to improve person-centred school-based vaccination for adolescents with IDD. Future research could involve engagement with all stakeholders to co-design interventions aimed at applying person-centred care principles to vaccinating students with IDD.

Impact

The findings from this analysis could be used to inform future implementation research into person-centred approaches to school vaccination aiming for positive outcomes for adolescents with IDD, their families and schools and health professionals.