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Improving the accuracy of ACIR data and increasing vaccination rates
Thaïs A Miles1, Linda V Granger1, Colleen L Gately1
1Central Coast Public Health Unit.
Insights
Targeted follow-up of children overdue for immunisation significantly improved vaccination timeliness and coverage rates. This proactive approach enhanced public health by ensuring more children received timely vaccinations.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Immunisation
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Vaccine-preventable diseases require timely immunisation and high coverage rates.
- The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) identifies children overdue for vaccination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess if follow-up of overdue children improves immunisation timeliness and coverage.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted intervention strategy.
Main Methods:
- A quality improvement study alternating intervention and non-intervention periods over 24 months.
- Intervention involved contacting vaccination providers and parents for overdue children (9-10 months) listed on ACIR.
- Register updates and parental encouragement for incomplete schedules were part of the intervention.
Main Results:
- Vaccination timeliness improved in the intervention group compared to non-intervention periods.
- Fully vaccinated rates in the Central Coast diverged positively from NSW rates during the study.
- Quarters with more intensive intervention (2/3 months) showed the highest fully vaccinated rates.
Conclusions:
- Proactive follow-up of children identified as overdue by ACIR enhances vaccination timeliness.
- The intervention strategy effectively increased the proportion of fully vaccinated children.
- Public health initiatives targeting immunisation gaps are crucial for disease prevention.
Abstract:
Immunisation at the earliest appropriate age and high levels of vaccine coverage at milestone ages are important in preventing the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. At the Central Coast Public Health Unit, the authors sought to determine if follow-up of children said by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) to be overdue for vaccination improved both of these factors. In a quality improvement activity, monthly ACIR lists of overdue Central Coast children aged 9 to 10 months of age were examined. The study alternated three months of intervention with three months of no intervention. The intervention was designed to find evidence of vaccination, first from the last known provider, and then if this was unsuccessful, from the parent. If no information was available, a letter was sent to the parents. If the child was indeed vaccinated, the register was updated. If the child was missing any vaccinations, the parent(s) were encouraged to complete the schedule. On reviewing routinely-published quarterly ACIR data at three-monthly intervals for 24 months after the intervention (or non-intervention), timeliness of vaccination improved in the intervention cohort. Central Coast fully vaccinated rates diverged from NSW rates during the study. In addition, the ACIR quarters that contained two out of three months of intervention rather than one out of three months of intervention had the highest rates of fully vaccinated children. The authors concluded that the intervention improved both timeliness of vaccination and the proportion of fully vaccinated children.
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