Clinical Inquiries

Do standing orders help with chronic disease care and health maintenance in ambulatory practice?

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References

Improvement in pneumococcal and flu vaccine rates
Three multicomponent RCTs of outpatient standing orders reported improved pneumococcal vaccination rates.3-5 Similarly, 2 prospective, multicomponent cohort studies6,7 and 1 retrospective study8 found improved rates of influenza vaccination with standing orders.

Childhood vaccination rates also show positive trends
Two controlled trials (1 randomized3 and 1 nonrandomized9) that incorporated standing orders examined their use in childhood immunizations (measles, mumps, and rubella [MMR]; oral polio vaccine [OPV]; Haemophilus influenzae, type b [HIB]; diphtheria and tetanus toxoids with acellular pertussis [DTaP]; and hepatitis B). One trial reported increased use of acute care immunization opportunities;9 the other showed a nonsignificant positive trend in vaccination rates.3

Standing orders increase 1 form of cancer screening, not another
A multicomponent RCT of standing orders for mammography and colorectal cancer screening found a statistically significant increase in screening for mammography, but not colorectal cancer.3

Recommendations

The Society of Adolescent Medicine recommends standing orders for administration of influenza vaccine during flu season.10

The Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommends standing orders for adult vaccinations based on “strong evidence,” but states that insufficient evidence exists to recommend standing orders for childhood vaccinations.11 Vaccines examined include MMR, DTaP, HIB, hepatitis B, and varicella for young children; hepatitis B, varicella, MMR, and tetanus-diphtheria toxoids (Td) for adolescents; Td for adults up to 65 years of age; and influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for adults 65 years and older.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends standing orders for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.12

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Evidence-based answers from the Family Physicians Inquiries Network

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