While there are signs that the monkeypox outbreak may be slowing in the U.S., health department officials are still urging caution.
There is no way to predict if cases could increase again, so many healthcare providers are seeking effective ways to provide community-wide education about the virus, provide monkeypox testing and, most of all, ensure that high-risk individuals have access to the vaccine.
And while the overwhelming number of cases have affected gay men, providers must balance educating the LBGTQ+ community while also warning the larger public that anyone could be infected.
It is important that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, is aware of the recommended prevention steps and how to get vaccine should they be exposed to the monkeypox virus (or any virus for that matter).
But there are stumbling blocks for providers in reaching their patients and increasing awareness on how to reduce risk of transmission and obtain the vaccine if needed. A cost effective way is needed to deploy targeted messages and updates en masse, all while reducing the burden on current hospital staff.
CipherHealth’s Community Communications solution has already proven effective in broadcasting flu and COVID-19 vaccination notifications.
Monkeypox vaccine outreach has some similar challenges, such as scaling communications rapidly and reaching thousands of patients with time-sensitive information about vaccine availability. CipherHealth’s tool addresses these needs by replacing repetitive administrative tasks, like manual messaging to patients, with automated messaging.
CipherHealth Vaccine Outreach in Action
The University of San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center used CipherOutreach to increase flu vaccinations. They had realized positive outcomes for other areas of their health system using post-discharge follow-up calls and implemented this to address low vaccine compliance and build on the success they had seen.
With flu outreach, UCSF was able to educate patients about the benefits of vaccinations while also capturing data on whether patients had been vaccinated outside of their healthcare system. Within a three year period, immunization rates improved by nearly 44%.
Also, a major academic medical center in California implemented CipherOutreach to provide education related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and schedule patients for vaccination. This was especially important to target vulnerable populations who might not otherwise get the vaccine.
Manual outreach to their patient populations was too labor intensive and proved ineffective. In comparison, using CipherOutreach automated this work and led to success securing vaccination appointments with patients.
Of the 54,100 patients called, 15% had questions about the vaccine and 21% asked for assistance in scheduling their appointment.
How CipherHealth’s Community Communication Solution Helps Scale Monkeypox Communication
Cipher’s Community Communications solution provides the following automated offerings so providers can educate their patients and connect them with the vaccine:
- On-Demand Messaging: Proactively send educational information about monkeypox vaccination and inviting patients to your website, or other sources, for updates.
- Appointment Reminders: Provide vaccine appointments and reminders to confirm patients will attend.
- Post-Visit Outreach: Support patients within 24 hours of vaccination with information about possible side effects and when to be concerned.
- Longitudinal Monitoring: Track and monitor vaccine recipients for a set period of time post-vaccination.
Bottom Line on Vaccine Communication Solutions
The complexities of educational outreach and vaccine delivery logistics can be difficult whether it is for the seasonal flu, COVID-19 or monkeypox virus.
Having the right resources to overcome the enormous operational and clinical hurdles is the key.
Leveraging innovative strategies—such as automated outreach for community-wide health notifications—is the best approach for health systems to provide education on monkeypox vaccination and its exposure risks, and improve what has been slowed access for some in obtaining the vaccine.
