The AIR Integration Service submits vaccination records from NSW Health to the AIR. The Service seamlessly connects existing systems where vaccinations are recorded and sends those records to the Australian Immunisation Register.
The Challenge
In July 2021, the Federal Government mandated all vaccines administered under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) to be recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) within 24 hours.
NSW Health had more than 650,000 historical vaccination records that needed to be migrated to the AIR. These records had to be transferred from multiple clinical systems including Electronic Medication Management (eMeds) within the Electronic Medical Record (eMR), and the Electronic Record for Intensive Care (eRIC).
To minimise the manual work for clinicians, eHealth NSW was tasked with building a solution to submit new and existing vaccination records into the AIR.
The Plan
eHealth NSW partnered with Health Protection NSW to meet with 200 subject matter experts across NSW Health, including clinicians, to identify and understand the challenges faced and how a solution could be configured to meet the immediate needs.
Due to the complexity of vaccination record systems, the solution was introduced in staggered phases over six weeks. These included electronic medical record systems that support intensive care, community care, medication management systems across various settings. We are currently supporting a few LHDs that are coming onboard with the statewide solution.
Additionally, the future plan includes leveraging the current solution to submit school and staff vaccination records, currently documented in separate systems. The Service will continue to support LHD staff to ensure vaccination records are uploaded to the AIR while minimising the burden of manual documentation.
“The system provides a seamless experience to clinicians and makes it simpler for them to record vaccinations, deliver care and improve patient outcomes.”
- Dr Jeremy McAnulty, Executive Director, Health Protection NSW and Project Sponsor
The Outcome
NSW Health was one of the first jurisdictions in Australia to meet mandatory reporting of vaccines under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) to the AIR. NSW Health exceeded the mandated requirement by also reporting additional vaccination records such as Monkey Pox and Japanese Encephalitis.
NSW Health migrated nearly 350,000 vaccination records via the AIR Integration project. Automated integrations were rolled out to seven vaccination record source systems across the 14 NSW LHDs and two SHNs. Initially historic records were uploaded and once complete, records were uploaded each day.
Now, all NSW Health immunisation records are automatically sent to the Australian register within 24 hours.
The Benefits
For clinicians, the AIR Integration Service:
- Ensures that NSW Health organisations adhere to the Australian Immunisations Register Act 2015
- Provides access to precise and up to date immunisation-related data, aiding in informed clinical decision-making.
For patients, the AIR Integration Service:
- Enhances continuity of care through more effective sharing of immunisation records across different healthcare settings
- Helps them comply with the vaccination schedule to avoid re-vaccinations and missed doses
- Reduces the time required to obtain accurate vaccination status.
Data correct as of September 2024
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