Assessing the Immunization Information System and Electronic Health Record interface accuracy for COVID-19 vaccinations

Objective Our objective is to assess the accuracy of the COVID-19
vaccination status within the Electronic Health Record for a panel of
patients in a primary care practice when manual queries of the state
immunization databases are required to access outside immunization
records. Results A manual query of the local Immunization Information
Systems for 4,114 adult patients with “unknown” vaccination status showed
44% of the patients were previously vaccinated. Attempts to assess the
comprehensiveness of the Immunization Information Systems were hampered by
incomplete documentation in the chart and poor response to patient
outreach. Conclusions  When the interface between the patient
chart and the local Immunization Information System depends on a manual
query for the transfer of data, the COVID-19 vaccination status for a
panel of patients is often inaccurate. This study was reviewed by the
University of Kansas Medical Center Institutional Review Board and was
designated as a quality improvement project.