title: Improving vaccine registries through mobile technologies: a vision for mobile enhanced Immunization information systems.
abstract: Immunization registries or information systems are critical to improving the quality and evaluating the ongoing success of immunization programs. However, the completeness of these systems is challenged by a myriad of factors including the fragmentation of vaccine administration, increasing mobility of individuals, new vaccine development, use of multiple products, and increasingly frequent changes in recommendations. Mobile technologies could offer a solution, which mitigates some of these challenges. Engaging individuals to have more control of their own immunization information using their mobile devices could improve the timeliness and accuracy of data in central immunization information systems. Other opportunities presented by mobile technologies that could be exploited to improve immunization information systems include mobile reporting of adverse events following immunization, the capacity to scan 2D barcodes, and enabling bidirectional communication between individuals and public health officials. Challenges to utilizing mobile solutions include ensuring privacy of data, access, and equity concerns, obtaining consent and ensuring adoption of technology at sufficiently high rates. By empowering individuals with their own health information, mobile technologies can also serve as a mechanism to transfer immunization information as individuals cross local, regional, and national borders. Ultimately, mobile enhanced immunization information systems can help realize the goal of the individual, the healthcare provider, and public health officials always having access to the same immunization information.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada kwilson@ohri.ca.
authors.forename: Kumanan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Shelley L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Deeks
authors.affiliation: Public Health Ontario, Toronto, Canada Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Natasha S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Crowcroft
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007256:Information Systems; D063731:Mobile Applications; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D014612:Vaccines
chemical_list: D014612:Vaccines
keywords: epidemiology; mobile technology; public health policy; surveillance; vaccines