Lessons learned in planning for community child immunization registries

The planning for an immunization registry must take into account characteristics of the local community such as provider capacities, public and private sector roles in immunization delivery, and the political and legal environment in health information exchange. Elements of the planning process common to the All Kids Count projects can be applied in other communities seeking to develop registries, and will help ensure that the product of the planning process results in a functional registry system acceptable to providers and to the public. Important milestones for the planning process include establishing a strong advisory group and soliciting input from key stakeholders, conducting a needs assessment of immunization providers and other sectors that is tailored to the organization of the local health system, and identifying the basic specifications for the immunization registry. Although AKC planning phases have taken somewhat different paths and completed planning steps on different timelines, a set of options common to each project must be considered in the context of the local provider environment. Critical questions for registry developers to explore during the planning phase include what linkages will need to be forged, what technical and educational needs will have to be addressed, and what functions or design features are critical to the registry.