Immunization Agenda questions
Laura Crosley USD Student Health
The following are questions that occur to me as I try to figure out the parameters of what this committee can and cannot do based on the limitations of the system we will be using. I have heard about the development of “portals” in our system that will allow students to access information that is personal to them on the USD system without having to visit various offices to get the updated information. I would like to see a system in which the student is able to verify immunization status prior to the registration rush or is notified automatically by email perhaps on a monthly basis if after a routine check of registered students shows them to be incomplete. Much of my time with immunizations is spent in these ways –
Data entry of immunization information.
Data entry of temporary waivers requested by admissions, academic advising and by students who are either new incoming students, students who were previously granted waivers that have now expired, or are off campus students blocked from registering because the class is classified as on campus. This is close to 2000 waivers in my case as I keep a log of each request. This also means that I also have to manually remove those waivers after 2 weeks (or when I can get to them).
Return of incomplete forms if I have enough information to do so.
Fulfillment of immunization record requests by searching archives and copying records or printing info from Datatel if record cannot be found. Most students want me to find the original if I can as I only input the MMRs and Meningitis shots in the computer.
My questions and comments are just to help me narrow the focus of this committee. Any information you can give me would be appreciated.
On line form –
Is this a separate form apart from Datatel data entry but will still impact the registration holds?
Or will Datatel info fill this online form?
Is this form intended to be accessed only by those doing immunization data entry or will the student or other staff be able to print this form or gain access to the immunization information?
What field elements will be necessary for staff to fill in and what elements can the computer enter based on person logged in, date data was entered, school location where data was entered, etc?
What kind of statistics would be worth obtaining from this system? For example, counting meningitis shots or waivers?
Can this online form have data fields labeled so that only the date of the immunization is necessary? Example would be MR1 would be default, but with drop down boxes available for RU1 and RO1, MU. Separate lines for RUT and ROT in case the students in health fields needed the RUT as well. I would be willing to put in other vaccinations in Datatel now, but it is too time consuming. I did add MNG for meningitis last summer so we could start tracking the incoming students for that vaccination.
An example of an online form is the SD Immunization Information System. When you print a report of immunizations, it prints a title at the top with the clinic accessing the site and the dates of the immunizations. The long form even has which clinic entered the immunization information. We accept records from high schools and other colleges who obtain info and put it in their own format. When clinics enter old immunization records into this SDIIS, they don’t always reference the other clinic, but it is still considered a valid record.
Here is another thought. We are currently keeping immunization records as old as 1986 in archives. It has been helpful when we have students who return for further education. There was a transfer of data between computer systems in 1998 which caused lost immunization data. We have at least 4 filing cabinets with just immunizations that are not on the computer. If we decide to enter more than just the MMR information, what is our guarantee that this system will allow us to continue to upgrade without losing information? Would we eventually want to go paperless and either enter old information or scan old forms? This would probably facility specific, but if we plan to count on each other for immunization info, it would be nice to know what the policies are.
Will there be temp waiver accessibility?
Can temp waivers expire?
Are immunization policies at all universities generally the same in regards to data entry of immunizations?
For example, USD enters MMR and meningitis, SDSU seems to only enter MMR info, and BHSU seems to enter all immunization info, including polio, Hep B, tetanus, etc.
Do other universities have different policies on waivers, example – only SH at USD is allowed to give waivers to register if immunizations are not on file? Do other schools give waivers at all or do they make the student produce the records? Do we use waiver codes the same (TWV versus MRW)? TWV for temp waivers, WV for permanent waivers.