Immunization
Registry Clearinghouse
What
Are Immunization Registries?
Immunization
registries are confidential, population-based,
computerized information systems that attempt
to collect vaccination data about all children
within a geographic area. Registries are an
important tool to increase and sustain high
vaccination coverage by consolidating vaccination
records of children from multiple providers,
generating reminder and recall vaccination
notices for each child, and providing official
vaccination forms and vaccination coverage
assessments. One of the national health objectives
for 2010 is to increase to 95% the proportion
of children aged <6 years who participate
in fully operational population-based immunization
registries.
A "fully
operational" registry includes =>95%
enrollment of all catchment area children <6
years of age with 2 or more immunization encounters
administered according to ACIP recommendations.
In a population-based
immunization registry, children are entered
into the registry at birth, often through a
linkage with electronic birth records. A registry
record also can be initiated by a health care
provider at the time of a child’s first immunization.
If a registry includes all children in a given
geographical area and all providers are reporting
immunization information, a registry can provide
a single data source for all community immunization
partners. Such a population-based immunization
registry can make it easier to carry out the
demonstrably effective immunization strategies
(e.g., reminder/recall, AFIX, and WIC linkages)
and thereby decrease the resources needed to
achieve and maintain high levels of coverage.
Immunization registries also can be used to
enhance adult immunization services and coverage.
The concept
of immunization registries is not new. Many
individual practices and health plans administer
immunizations to their patients. Records of
these immunizations often are based on computerized
information systems designed for other purposes
such as billing. There also is a growing movement
toward the development of totally computerized
patient medical records. Although an immunization
registry includes all immunizations administered
by health care providers participating in the
registry, only population-based immunization
registries are capable of providing information
on all children and all doses of vaccines administered
by all providers.
Related
pages:
|
