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Published Online: 13 April 2022

Increasing COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Among Patients With Serious Mental Illness: A Pilot Intervention Study

Carol Lim, M.D., M.P.H. [email protected], Manjola U. Van Alphen, M.D., Ph.D., Sarah Maclaurin, P.M.H.N.P., Caitlin Mulligan, P.M.H.N.P., Benjamin Macri, P.M.H.N.P., Corinne Cather, Ph.D., and Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P.Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric Services
Volume 73, Number 11
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.202100702
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Abstract

Objective:

This pilot project aimed to maximize COVID-19 vaccine uptake among patients with serious mental illness. Psychiatric providers were engaged to directly address COVID-19 vaccine–related concerns with patients during outpatient visits.

Methods:

A quality improvement project encouraged COVID-19 vaccinations in a cohort of outpatients treated with clozapine (N=193, ages 19–81 years, mean age=46.4 years) at a community mental health center. In-service education was provided to clinicians to identify vaccine-hesitant patients and build vaccine confidence. A vaccination-monitoring tool was created and embedded in patients’ electronic medical records. Starting in February 2021, the tool guided semistructured interviews at each visit and supported population-based management.

Results:

The full COVID-19 vaccination rate by June 30, 2021, was 84% among the outpatients, compared with the estimated state rate on the same date of between 62.1% and 77.3%.

Conclusions:

The active involvement of psychiatric providers in preventive health care can help increase vaccination rates among patients with serious mental illness.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Volume 73 • Number 11 • November 01, 2022
Pages: 1274 - 1277
PubMed: 35414188

History

Received: 11 December 2021
Revision received: 1 February 2022
Accepted: 11 February 2022
Published online: 13 April 2022
Published in print: November 01, 2022

Keywords

  1. Schizophrenia
  2. Coronavirus
  3. Community mental health services
  4. Public health
  5. Medical morbidity and mortality in psychiatric patients

Authors

Details

Carol Lim, M.D., M.P.H. [email protected]
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Manjola U. Van Alphen, M.D., Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Sarah Maclaurin, P.M.H.N.P.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Caitlin Mulligan, P.M.H.N.P.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Benjamin Macri, P.M.H.N.P.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Corinne Cather, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Oliver Freudenreich, M.D., F.A.C.L.P.
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Lim, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Cather, Freudenreich); Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Lim, Van Alphen, Cather, Freudenreich); North Suffolk Mental Health Association, Boston (Van Alphen, Maclaurin, Mulligan, Macri).
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Lim ([email protected]).

Funding Information

This study was partially supported by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.Ms. Maclaurin reports serving on the advisory boards of Alkermes and Janssen. Dr. Freudenreich reports receiving research grants from Alkermes, Janssen, and Otsuka; consultant honoraria from Janssen, Integral, and American Psychiatric Association; medical honoraria from Elsevier; and royalties from Wolters-Kluwer, Springer Verlag, and UpToDate. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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