Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 10, 2026

E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
A scoping review of active, participant-centred, digital adverse events following immunization (AEFI) surveillance: A
Athanasios Psihogios1, A Brianne Bota1, Salima S Mithani1
1Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa, Canada.
Background:
Post-licensure adverse events following immunization (AEFI) surveillance is conducted to monitor vaccine safety, such as identifying batch/brand issues and rare reactions, which consequently improves community confidence. The integration of technology has been proposed to improve AEFI surveillance, however, there is an absence of description regarding which digital solutions are successfully being used and their unique characteristics.
Objectives:
The objectives of this scoping review were to 1) map the research landscape on digital systems used for active, participant-centred, AEFI surveillance and 2) describe their core components.
Methods:
We conducted a scoping review informed by the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRSIMA-ScR) guideline. OVID-Medline, Embase Classic + Embase, and Medrxiv were searched by a medical librarian from January 1, 2000 to January 28th, 2021. Two independent reviewers determined which studies met inclusion based on pre-specified eligibility criteria. Data extraction was conducted using pre-made tables with specific variables by one investigator and verified by a second.
Results:
Twenty-seven publications met inclusion, the majority of which came from Australia (n = 15) and Canada (n = 6). The most studied active, participant-centred, digital AEFI surveillance systems were SmartVax (n = 8) (Australia), Vaxtracker (n = 7) (Australia), and Canadian National Vaccine Safety (CANVAS) Network (Canada) (n = 6). The two most common methods of communicating with vaccinees reported were short-message-service (SMS) (n = 15) and e-mail (n = 14), with online questionnaires being the primary method of data collection (n = 20).
Conclusion:
Active, participant-centred, digital AEFI surveillance is an area actively being researched as depicted by the literature landscape mapped by this scoping reviewWe hypothesize that the AEFI surveillance approach herein described could become a primary method of collecting self-reported subjective symptoms and reactogenicity from vaccinees, complementing existing systems. Future evaluation of identified digital solutions is necessary to bring about improvements to current vaccine surveillance systems to meet contemporary and future public health needs.
More Related Videos
06:16Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting
Published on: June 6, 2020
04:58Reduced Procedure Time and Variability with Active Esophageal Cooling During Radiofrequency Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
Published on: August 25, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting the Risk of Infection
The integrity and count of the white blood cells help the body resist pathogens and fight infection. When impaired, it reduces the body's resistance to pathogens. The acidic pH levels of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts, and skin create...
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Study Designs in Epidemiology
Observational studies are those where the researcher does not intervene but rather observes natural variations. They include cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies.
Principles of Disease Surveillance