Standardization and simplification of vaccination

The majority of vaccines are administered during childhood. Vaccination records are importantdocuments to be kept for a lifetime, but the documentation of immunization events is poorlystandardized. At the point of care, paper records are often unavailable, making it impossibleto obtain accurate vaccination histories. Vaccination records should include batchspecifications to allow the tracking of licensed vaccines in cases of recall. The WHO havegenerated the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis for the documentation ofchildhood and travel vaccinations as well as seasonal and booster immunizations. Whenmoving vaccination records into the digital age, data standards and interoperability need tobe considered. The ideal vaccination record should facilitate the interpretation of safetyreports and promote a data continuum from pre-licensure trials to post-marketingsurveillance. The current article describes which data elements are essential, and howvaccination documentation could be streamlined and simplified.