Clinicians should pay close attention to new vaccination details in the 2020 Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule.
That’s according to the American College of Physicians, which reviewed the new schedule, released Tuesday by the United States’ Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. A number of administration recommendations have been revised, including those for the influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.
“New details found in the vaccine notes section clarify who needs what vaccine, when and at what dose,” the physician’s group stated.
There are also new instructions for shared clinical decision-making in regard to the pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13). That vaccine “should be discussed with adults 65 years or older who do not have an immunocompromising condition, cerebrospinal fluid leak, or cochlear implant, and who have not previously received PCV13,” the recommendations state.
The schedule, described as typically “complex and challenging to implement,” now features more streamlined content, format, and graphics for ease of use, the committee reports.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is a group of medical and public health experts convened by the CDC to develop recommendations for vaccine use. The American College of Physicians approves the immunization schedule, along with other specialty physician groups.
