All states have some type of immunization history tracking system. However, accessing information from systems that were designed in some cases decades ago can be difficult and time consuming. Electronic health records may soon change this.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced that it will begin collecting immunization records from state and local health departments that are already using electronic health records, according to Government Health IT.
The new system could come with many benefits. First, it will be easier for parents to request the immunization records of their children. It will also allow physicians to send reminders to their patients when it is time to update their immunizations.
On the public health side, the system will keep track of how many individuals in geographic areas are receiving vaccinations for certain conditions. These numbers can then be compared to the agency's goals for immunizations in given populations.
A recent study funded by the National Institute of Health found that public health and population-based efforts like this could be one of the many benefits of electronic health records.