Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 9, Issue 1 , Pages 35-38 , April 2006

Tetanus vaccination: The issue of ‘just in case’ vaccinations in emergency departments

  • Kate Sloan, RN, RM, CCC, BN, GradDipHSM, MNP (Emerg)

      Affiliations

    • Emergency Department, SouthWest Healthcare, Warrnambool, Vic., Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +61 3 55631457.
    • ,
  • Annette Summers, AO RFD, PhD, MEdSt, BN

      Affiliations

    • School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

References 

  1. Dillon B, Senior Pharmacist, SouthWest Healthcare 1/2/2006, personal communication.
  2. National Health & Medical Research Council . The Australian Immunisation Handbook. 8th ed.. Canberra: NH&MRC; 2003;
  3. Lipman J. Tetanus. In:  Berston A,  Soni N editor. Oh's intensive care manual. Sydney: Butterworth; 2003;p. 531–536
  4. McIntyre P, Gidding H, Gilmour R, Lawrence G, Hull B, Horby P, et al. Vaccination preventable diseases and vaccination coverage in Australia, 1999–2000. Canberra: National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases; 2002;
  5. Talan D, Abrahamian F, Moran G, Mower W, Alagappan K, Tiffany B, et al. Tetanus immunity and physician compliance with tetanus prophylaxis practices among emergency department patients presenting with wounds. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43(3):305–314
  6. Thwaites C, Farra J. Preventing and treating tetanus. BMJ. 2003;326:117–118
  7. Centre for Disease Control. The pink book, 2002. Accessed 12 July 2003, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/55.5203.pdf.
  8. Panagiotopoulos T. Herd immunity & vaccination, 2005. Accessed 12 February 2006, http://www.pitt.edu/∼super1/lecture/lec1181/001.htm.
  9. Sanford J. Tetanus—forgotten but not gone. N Engl J Med. 1995;332(12):812–813
  10. Gergen PJ, McQuillian G, Kiely M, Ezzati-Rice T, Sutter R, Virella G. A population-based serological survey of immunity to tetanus in the United States. N Engl J Med. 1995;332(12):761–766
  11. Gardner P, LaForce F, Sutter R, Hadler S, McQuillan G, Gergen P, et al. Protection against tetanus. N Engl J Med. 1995;333(9):599–600
  12. Brand D, Acampora D, Gottleib L, Glancy K, Frazier W. Adequacy of anti tetanus prophylaxis in six hospital emergency rooms. N Engl J Med. 1983;309(11):636–640
  13. Elkharrat D, Boyer-Chammard A, Raskine L, Durand-Zaleski I, Zerban A, Caulin C, et al. Impact of guidelines to alter antitetanus prophylaxis practices and reduce costs in the emergency department. Am J Ther. 1999;6(4):203–209
  14. Waller R. Wound care and repair. In:  Cameron P,  Jelinik G,  Kelly AM,  Murray L,  Brown A,  Heyworth J editor. Textbook of adult emergency medicine. Sydney: Churchill Livingstone; 2004;p. 109–123
  15. Nai , r B, Byles J, Tavener M, Heinze R. Immunisation rates in older veterans and war widows. Aust J Ageing. 2000;19(3):136–138
  16. Heath TC, Smith W, Capon AG, Hanlon M, Mitchell P. Tetanus immunity in an older Australian population. Med J Aust. 1996;164:593–596
  17. Alagappan K, Rennie W, Lin D, Auerbach C. Immunologic response to tetanus toxoid in the elderly: one year follow up. Ann Emerg Med. 1998;32(2):155–159
  18. Bowie C. Tetanus toxoid for adults—too much of a good thing. Lancet. 1996;348(9036):1185–1186
  19. Giangrasso J, Smith R. Misuse of tetanus prophylaxis in wound care. Ann Emerg Med. 1985;14(6):573–579
  20. Maiden M, Benton G, Bourne R. Effect of warming adult diphtheria-tetanus vaccine on discomfort after injection: a randomised controlled trial. Med J Aust. 2004;178:433–436

PII: S1574-6267(06)00005-X

doi: 10.1016/j.aenj.2006.02.001

Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 9, Issue 1 , Pages 35-38 , April 2006

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