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NJ health officials test vaccination tracking system

Emergency Management Alert, January 8, 2003

New Jersey public health officials recently held the state's first public field trial of a tracking system in preparation for an upcoming smallpox vaccination effort for health care workers, according to Biotech Week.

The New Jersey Vaccination Information Tracking and Logistics System (NJ-VITALS) is a database specifically designed to capture information essential to smallpox vaccination. The state plans to vaccinate up to 15,000 public health and health care workers starting later this month or in February, pending federal approval.

Becton, Dickinson and Co. developed the system on which NJ-VITALS is based for possible nationwide use. New Jersey is the first state to pilot test the mobile tracking system.

Health official volunteers participated in the "clinic" simulating smallpox vaccination. Clinic staff conducted medical history interviews with each volunteer to acquire demographic information and detect contraindications to the vaccine. After entering the information into the database, staff explained the risks and benefits of the vaccine and had volunteers sign informed consent forms directly on a wireless, notebook computer.

After volunteers received a simulated vaccination, staff took digital photographs of the skin vaccination site and entered them into NJ-VITALS. Under actual conditions, clinic staff would update the photographs seven days later to make a record of vaccine "take," which documents successful immunization.

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