Learning Objectives for this Presentation:
By the end of the presentation participants will be able to:
*Describe school nurse immunization reporting requirements
*Determine how school nurses are currently using immunization registries in their practice
*Describe the value of school nurses adding student immunization data to an immunization registry
*Identify potential ways school nurses can use immunization registry data to improve immunization coverage rates


Background:
School nurses have proven to be avid immunization registry users. As such, they play a vital role in disease outbreak detection and surveillance. However, school nurses spend excessive time tracking and recording immunization histories, and typically have view-only rights to their state's registry. Furthermore, many immunization registries do not include private physician data, making the search for complete immunization records difficult. A potential solution is to allow school nurses the capability to add their student immunization history data to the statewide immunization registry.

Setting:
Schools and school health information systems and state immunization registries.

Population:
Children grades K-12 and higher education.

Project Description:
This project will review Louisiana's decision to enable school nurses to add immunization history data to LINKS; the positive impact it has made on populating their registry; the role it played during the Katrina disaster; and the potential role it could play in future disease outbreak and surveillance efforts.

Results/Lessons Learned:
School nurses have credible immunization history data that is otherwise unobtainable from private physicians. Providing them with data entry access to the state's immunization registry creates more opportunities for providing complete and accurate immunization histories. Furthermore, allowing school nurses access to consolidated immunization histories will facilitate the management of disease outbreak and surveillance.