Introduction

TDAP vaccine helps pregnant women to make the antibodies required by their bodies from diseases. By protecting themselves from diseases, pregnant women will not pass any sicknesses to their unborn children (Kerr et al., 2017). Therefore, the TDAP vaccines are essential in protecting fetuses from any diseases that they may get from their mothers and keep them safe until they get the TDAP vaccine when they are two months old. The Tdap vaccine contains inactivated viruses since active viruses could result in negative outcomes for pregnant women. The Tdap vaccine helps protect the fetus from diseases such as whooping cough, which could be fatal if experienced (Kerr et al., 2017). Therefore, women with pregnancies of between 27 and 36 weeks are advised to get the vaccine.

Given the importance of the TDAP   vaccine, all pregnant women must be advised to get it. However, despite the associated benefits, some members of society are against the vaccine, hence resulting in a situation whereby a significant percentage of pregnant women do not get the vaccine (Kerr et al., 2017). There is a need for all the stakeholders involved to look for ways to educate and convince pregnant women of the benefits of getting the vaccine so that the health risks associated with not getting it will be minimized. Healthcare providers are among the most influential stakeholders in the fight to convince pregnant women to get the TDAP  vaccine. Therefore they must be educated on the best way to influence pregnant women into getting the vaccine and protecting their children from negative health outcomes.

Evidence-based Practice Model

Evidence shows that there has been a sharp decline in the number of pregnant women willing to get vaccines, hence indicating that the fetuses are put in danger that minimizes their chances of survival. These being the case, healthcare professionals need to be educated first on how to handle such instances to be as effective as expected. While the parents may have varying reasons for vaccination refusal, it is evident that healthcare professionals are the most reliable source of information on vaccinations during pregnancy. Therefore they need to be equipped and empowered to help in changing the negative perspectives of pregnant women against TDAP    vaccination (Ellis, 2019).

The professionals should create environments where their patients can ask questions on the vaccines without fear and with the assurance of being effectively answered. This will encourage them to ask their question exhaustively and become convinced of the benefits of the Tdap vaccine (Ellis, 2019). Secondly, healthcare professionals should be committed to searching for more information to always be in a position to give reliable answers to their patients’ concerns. Critical appraisal of the information provided is another important step, since the professionals need to weigh the evidence received and ascertain if it is proper and reliable before giving it to their clients TDAP vaccine. The implementation of the project, whereby the professionals administer the Tdap vaccine to their patients when they are fully convinced of the benefits of doing so. The process should be constantly evaluated to ensure that it is effective and that the patients’ needs are always ahead.

Spirit of Inquiry

The spirit of inquiry is an important tool in the processes of learning and practice of nursing. The spirit of inquiry enables the healthcare personnel involved with convincing pregnant women to get the Tdap vaccine to fully understand the benefits and disadvantages of the vaccine before administering it to their patients (Harper et al., 2019). By possessing the spirit of inquiry, healthcare professionals will research the Tdap vaccine and objectively weigh the advantages and disadvantages of administering it to pregnant women. When they are fully convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks of administering the vaccine, they can fully support the practice and educated members of society on the benefits of getting it.

Additionally, the spirit of inquiry helps in nursing practice since it enables the nurses and other healthcare professionals to be in the constant search for information, hence leading to a situation whereby the healthcare professionals offer the highest quality of service and get the best outcomes from their practice (Harper et al., 2019). When a healthcare professional has a spirit of inquiry, they will look for the best ways to improve their practice through reading and learning from their successful colleagues, hence ensuring that their services are always effective and produce the best outcomes (Harper et al., 2019). The spirit of inquiry will also lead to curiosity, whereby the healthcare professionals will be on the lookout for better ways of giving the Tdap vaccine and looking for better alternatives that may have better outcomes than the vaccine.

Identifying the Issue

Although efforts have been invested towards convincing parents of the benefits of vaccination during pregnancy and when their children are born, there have been groups that resist vaccines. One of the biggest reasons for the resistance is the lack of information on the benefits or disadvantages of vaccines. Without the free flow of information on vaccines, people can be misled into believing that the vaccines are harmful to them (Laverty et al., 2021). While this may be the case for some, some members of society are genuinely looking for more information on the Tdap vaccine, and therefore until they get more information on the vaccine, they are not willing to get it. This is, therefore, an issue that may hinder the willingness of pregnant women to get vaccinated, hence reducing the rate of vaccination among pregnant women.

Another issue is the safety concerns that people have against the vaccine. The press has actively contributed to this since the cases of vaccines bringing out negative outcomes when given to pregnant women are highlighted and contribute to the negative perception and resistance that the pregnant women have for the vaccines (Laverty et al., 2021). There are also some genuine safety concerns where pregnant women with health complications are unsure whether the Tdap vaccine will react badly with their bodies, hurting their fetuses. Some parents may believe that natural immunity is better than the artificial one brought about by the TDAP vaccine, hence leading to their resistance (Laverty et al., 2021). Therefore, healthcare professionals need to be able to address the resistance that may come up, hence convincing pregnant women to be vaccinated.

Understanding the Background

The Tdap vaccine plays a critical role in protecting the fetus from whooping cough during the pregnancy until the newborn can get vaccinated when they are two months old. The vaccine should be given to pregnant women between their 26th and 37th week of pregnancy since whooping cough could be fatal to a newly born child, especially when they have no protection against it (Baxter et al., 2017). Therefore, given that parents’ main concern during pregnancy is to ensure the safety and survival of their child during the fetal and early stages of life, it would be expected that a majority, if not all, of the parents would be supportive of the TDAP vaccine. However, evidence shows that a significant percentage of parents are against the vaccine, hence putting their children at health risks.

Given the underwhelming rates of pregnant women willing to get the vaccine and their children’s risks, healthcare professionals must look for effective ways to ensure that they change their perspectives to be more favorable of vaccination. Evidence-based practice helps healthcare professionals use past evidence to solve the issues experienced in their endeavors (Baxter et al., 2017). Therefore, nurses should use evidence-based practice to develop effective solutions to the issues experienced and improve the chances of convincing pregnant women to get the Tdap vaccine and increase the chances of their children’s survival and leading healthy lives.

Specific or Clinical Problem

The specific clinical problem is how retrospective chart reviews and education of healthcare professionals will improve TDAP vaccination rates for pregnant women. While the benefits of the vaccine are known, there is a huge number of pregnant women who continue to resist the vaccine for varying reasons. Therefore, healthcare professionals must step up and contribute to improving the number of pregnant women who are willing to get the Tdap vaccine since they are more trusted by the patients and because they are the closest to their patients. Therefore, the question is on how the healthcare professionals can educate the members of society on the benefits of getting the TDAP vaccine , hence driving the number of vaccinated patients up.

Another question is on how healthcare professionals can be educated to undertake effective evidence-based practice and improve the number of pregnant women willing to get the TDAP vaccine . Education through adding the application of EBP to syllabuses and retraining of practicing professionals will ensure that the healthcare professionals can handle the challenges they may experience, hence becoming more effective in their endeavors. The application of the EBP on educating patients so that they can be supportive of TDAP vaccine s will play a critical role in improving the number of pregnant women willing to be vaccinated since it is likely that most of those against the vaccine have been misinformed and therefore getting the right information will help in changing their mindsets.

Problem Statement

The problem statement for the research is how retrospective chart reviews and the education of healthcare providers will help improve the number of pregnant women who get the TDAP vaccine. Tdap vaccine helps protect both the mother and the fetus from suffering from whooping cough, hence ensuring the survival of the fetuses and newly-born children. By reviewing the existing evidence on the number of pregnant women willing to get the TDAP vaccine , it is evident that a huge part of the population does not support the vaccine, hence the underwhelming number of pregnant women getting vaccinated compared to those against it.

Evidence-based healthcare practice will help the professionals in the field to have all the knowledge necessary to educate pregnant women on the benefits of getting the TDAP vaccine . Evidence-based practice will enable them to review the existing records concerning the number of vaccinated women and the reasons for their resistance. When their reasons for resistance have been understood, it is easier for the professionals to equip themselves with the knowledge required to educate members of society and convince them to get the vaccines. The professionals, therefore, need to be educated on the approaches that they should take when educating their patients so that they can be more convincing and therefore increase the number of pregnant women who are willing to get vaccinated. By adhering to EBP, the practitioners should constantly review the processes undertaken and make the necessary changes that would improve the number of pregnant women who get vaccinated, hence improving the quality of life for members of society.

Clinical Question

To what degree does the implementation of an educational intervention offered to the HCPs to utilize CDC vaccine information to make a strong recommendation for pregnant women to receive the Tdap vaccine impact TDAP    vaccination rates compared to usual care among pregnant women between 27-36 weeks gestation in an urban prenatal clinic in the Southwestern United States over four weeks?

This clinical question seeks answers on the effects of the education intervention programs in convincing pregnant women to get vaccinated and how effective this intervention program could be to a clinic in the Southwestern part of the US. While it has been agreed that the current numbers are underwhelming, the route to take towards the improvement of the situation has not yet been fully agreed on. The most effective tactic is educating the target population on the issues at hand to fully understand the issues being introduced to them by the professionals and so that all of their concerns can be addressed. Furthermore, the use of healthcare professionals is important since it ensures that the target population only receives information from trusted sources. Therefore they will not mislead others into resisting the vaccines and getting the undesired outcomes in the short and long runs. The use of evidence-based practice in assessing the current statistics on the number of pregnant women willing to get the Tdap vaccine will enable the practitioners to understand the task ahead of them and compare the numbers before and after they have begun educating the population.

Significance of the Problem

Approximately one out of four Americans are unwilling to get vaccinated. This means that while the government, through the departments concerned, has been working towards getting all of its citizens vaccinated and protected against diseases, some members of society are unwilling to get vaccinated due to varying reasons. When pregnant women refuse to be vaccinated, they are putting themselves and the children they carry at health risks, hence reducing the chances of survival for their children. Therefore, while the government has been working hard to reduce child mortality rates, there is a significant part of the population that is still at risk due to the resistance of their parents towards the suggested vaccines, such as the TDAP vaccine.

Education of the masses is an important step that healthcare professionals can take since they will be informed of the issues at hand, their concerns will be addressed, and the misconceptions they may have on the issue. When people are educated, they are likely to change their opinions compared to when they are threatened. Therefore, this paper seeks to look for how healthcare practitioners can change the opinions of those who are currently undecided or against the Tdap vaccine so that they can support the practice and improve the health outcomes of members of society. By using evidence-based practice, the healthcare practitioners will use actual figures to see the number of people they need to get to and change the health outcomes in the community in question.

Purpose Statement

The purpose statement for this research project is to increase the willingness and rates of pregnant women who get the TDAP vaccine. The Tdap vaccine plays an important role in protecting pregnant women and their fetuses from contracting whooping cough. Therefore, getting vaccinated will increase the chances of survival for the fetus and the likelihood of them leading healthy lives in the future. While the benefits of the vaccine may be evident and expected to convince all the members of society of the need for pregnant women to get vaccinated, there is a huge percentage of pregnant women who are against vaccination. Therefore they do not get the TDAP vaccine. This exposes their fetuses to avoidable health risks, reducing their chances of survival and increasing the child mortality rates in the United States.

Healthcare professionals need to be actively involved and used in changing the negative opinions that some members of society may have of vaccination, more specifically, the Tdap vaccine for pregnant women. The use of healthcare professionals in educating the masses on TDAP    vaccination is most effective due to their closeness with the patients and their credibility in society. Members of society are more trusting of information given by healthcare professionals. Therefore, they should be used to spread useful information on TDAP vaccine s to the community and respond to their concerns concerning the vaccine.

Proposed DNP

A DNP project is an academic project used to translate the evidence collected into practice. Furthermore, it has a system whereby it is mainly concerned with the specific population of pregnant women unwilling to get vaccinated. Therefore, this research paper is a DNP project since its main objective is to transform the evidence collected on why pregnant women are not willing to get vaccinated into practice, whereby the knowledge gained can be imparted to the target population and increase their willingness to get the TDAP vaccine . This paper is important since its main aim is to contribute to change in society, since increasing the number of pregnant women who get vaccinated will mean that the childhood mortality rates will be significantly reduced, leading to improved quality of life for all members of society.

Even when positive outcomes are achieved, there is always more room for better outcomes to be achieved. To achieve all-rounded outcomes, this paper will also develop a sustainability plan. A sustainability plan refers to a plan by stakeholders within a project to ensure that it can continue being undertaken in the future without more resources are required since it can run on its own. A sustainability plan will also mean that the proposed project will have improvement plans to ensure that the outcomes achieved will be subject to improvement. This includes having constant assessments that will ensure that the project is running smoothly and that positive outcomes will be achieved through the stakeholders’ commitment to high-quality outcomes.

Essentials of the Project

First, personnel to undertake the education of the target population need to be readily available. For the project to be successful, the stakeholders need to avail trained and experienced personnel who are willing to undertake training so that they can be fully equipped with the knowledge on how to deal with the members of society that they will be handling and to effectively convince them to have pregnant women vaccinated. Secondly, training the personnel to undertake the project needs to be undertaken (Cummings et al., 2020). For the project to be successful, the individuals responsible for the education process need to be educated on the issue. By training the healthcare personnel, they will have the full knowledge on the subject matter to be in a good position to handle the questions they experience. Answering the questions asked will mean that the target audience will be fully convinced of the need for pregnant women to get TDAP vaccine s, hence improving the chances of reducing childhood mortality.

Finally, the financial resources to drive the project are required. For a project to be successful, a budget needs to be allocated so that the expected outcomes can be achieved as fast as had been expected. One of the uses of financial input in the project is in hiring personnel since the existing workforce is insufficient; more will need to be hired (Cummings et al., 2020). Also, their remunerations need to be readily available since they will act as a motivation to help achieve the project’s desired outcomes. Finally, financial resources are required for the purchase of enough TDAP vaccine s. Since more people will be convinced to get the vaccine, the stakeholders should ensure that they have enough stock of the vaccine to cover the increased numbers of people who will need it.

Summary

To reduce childhood mortality rates and improve the quality of life for members of society, vaccines have been suggested for different members of society at different stages of their lives. One useful vaccine used is the Tdap vaccine, which protects the fetuses from whooping cough and flu from the time they are in their mothers’ wombs up to when they are two months old. Despite the benefits associated with the vaccine, some members of society resist it, leading to a significant part of the society not taking the vaccine. To improve the chances of people being convinced of the benefits of the vaccine and improving the quality of their lives, healthcare professionals have been suggested as the main source of information to members of society. For healthcare professionals to be effective, they need to apply the concepts of evidence-based practice when handling such cases. They will also need to have the necessary training to have all the information needed to convince their clients of the benefits of getting vaccinated. The stakeholders, therefore, need to ensure that the healthcare professionals have all the necessary tools to get the most out of their endeavors, hence improving the quality of life for members of society in the long run.