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What is an immunization record?

An immunization record is a comprehensive timeline of all vaccinations a patient has received. Good record-taking will ensure a patient can provide accurate immunization records required for certain jobs, travel, or school enrollment.

Finding your immunization record

Makes sure to ask your doctor or nurse to record each vaccine given on your or your child’s immunization record and write down the name of the doctor’s office or clinic. If you don’t have a complete record of your immunizations, you try to contact these organizations:

  • Child’s Doctor or Public Health Clinic: Keep in mind doctor’s offices and clinics may only keep immunization records for a few years.
  • State Health Department: You can request a copy of your child’s immunization record. Or, you can find out if your child’s immunization record is in an Immunization Information System (IIS).
  • Child’s School: Keep in mind these records generally are kept for only a year or two after the student graduates, transfers to another school, or leaves the school system. After a student leaves the school system, records are sent to storage and may not be accessible unless the record is stored in an IIS.
  • College Medical or Student Health Services
  • Family baby books: Look around the house or ask parents or grandparents.
  • Military Records: A form for requesting health information from the Veteran’s Administration is available online.

If you cannot find a complete immunization record, you can have your blood tested for antibodies to determine their immunity to certain diseases. However, these tests may not always be accurate, so your doctor may prefer to revaccinate you or your child for best protection. Talk to your child’s doctor to determine the safety of revaccination.

Interpreting abbreviations on records

To interpret commonly used acronyms and abbreviations that health care professionals use to record vaccinations, consult the Vaccine and Acronyms and Abbreviations list. This list also contains manufacturers’ trade names for vaccines and some common abbreviations for vaccine-preventable diseases.

How an Electronic Health Record can help

An electronic health record, or EHR, is set up to ensure that immunization records are complete and accurate. With good EHR software and EHR systems, health care providers will be alerted to any missing, incomplete, or possibly inaccurate immunization records.

An EHR also guarantees all of a patient’s immunization records are never lost and stored in one easy to access location. Professionals can make sure they have all the information to provide the best care possible, and patients can make sure they always have access to their immunization record.

Check out Practice Fusion’s EHR system to guarantee complete and accurate immunization records and cloud-based storage for easy access.