Tracking vaccine compliance in a primary care setting: online history- reminders- order entry- and charting.

In a new primary care setting with three medical disciplines participating- a vaccine history and order entry system was implemented along with other online documentation systems as the primary documentation tools for the clinic. Reminders were generated based upon a set of algorithms consistent with 1998 nationally accepted vaccine guidelines. Vaccine compliance data were analyzed for the entire population cared for in this setting for a 6 month period. Rates of compliance with national recommendations for eight key vaccine groups were calculated based on the online data. Trends in the rates of compliance- interpreted within limitations- showed statistically and clinically significant improvements. The immunization application accomplished several goals: accurate history and patient-specific recommendations- online ordering of vaccines or serum products- online charting of administration that- in turn- automatically maintained the vaccine history.