Auditing the Immunization Data Quality from Routine Reports in Shangyu District, East China

• Main Authors: Yu Hu, Xinpei Zhang, Qian Li, Yaping Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2016-11-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: audit; data quality; immunization; coverage; monitoring
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/11/1158

Objective: To evaluate the immunization data quality in Shangyu District, East China. Methods: An audit for immunization data for the year 2014 was conducted in 20 vaccination clinics of Shangyu District. The consistency of immunization data was estimated by verification factors (VFs), which was the proportion of vaccine doses reported as being administered that could be verified by written documentation at vaccination clinics. The quality of monitoring systems was evaluated using the quality index (QI). Results: The VFs of 20 vaccine doses ranged from 0.94 to 1.04 at the district level. The VFs for the 20 vaccination clinics ranged from 0.57 to 1.07. The VFs for Shangyu District was 0.98. The mean of total QI score of the 20 vaccination clinics was 80.32%. A significant correlation between the VFs of the 3rd dose of the diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis combined vaccine (DTP) and QI scores was observed at the vaccination clinic level. Conclusions: Deficiencies in data consistency and immunization reporting practice in Shangyu District were observed. Targeted measures are suggested to improve the quality of the immunization reporting system in vaccination clinics with poor data consistency.