Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to; 1. A data-driven rule-based approach for the vaccine recommendation algorithm. 2.Rule tables that can be edited via a Web-based interface, which would allow for building rules of any applicable nature.

Background:
The California Automated Immunization Registry (CAIR) is designed to ensure the secure, electronic exchange of immunization records to support the elimination of vaccine preventable diseases (VPD). One of the important features of the CAIR is the capability to forecast the vaccine recommendations. However, the vaccine schedule is frequently changing through the addition of new individual and combination vaccines, which require increasingly complex schedule rules. Vaccine recommendation algorithm code that used logic-based solutions became increasingly unwieldly as the vaccine schedule became more complex. We present a rule-based web tool to update the vaccine recommendation algorithm without affecting the main application, just as the database can be updated without changing the application.

Objectives:
1. A data-driven rule-based approach for the vaccine recommendation algorithm
2. Rule tables that can be edited via a Web-based interface, which would allow for building rules of any applicable nature.

Methods:
1. The logic in the “pink” book (Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Disease) appendix A. 2. Data and procedure-based vaccine recommendation engine. 3. Web-based user interface that enables an appropriate user to add new vaccines into database. 4. Relational database and VB.NET for coding.

Results:
Project Benefit: 1. Reduction in code used for vaccine logic rules. 2. Updating new vaccines into the registry without recompiling the application. 3. Easy maintenance of vaccine algorithms. 4. Facilitating recognition of problematic vaccine algorithm.

Conclusions:
A rule-based web tool allows for adding and modifying vaccine rules into the CAIR in timely manner. It also facilitates maintenance of vaccine recommendation algorithms in the CAIR system.