Computer technology and the Childhood Immunisation Programme: an investigation of low uptake rates in Coventry Primary Care Trust.

BACKGROUND:
The childhood vaccination programme in Coventry Primary Care Trust (PCT) has resulted in consistently low uptake rates for a number of years. After an evaluation of operational processes, an examination of the data systems was performed.

METHODS:
The under-reporting of vaccinations performed and methodology issues were investigated using data collected by the Child Health Information Department (CHID) and the Finance Department.
RESULTS:

Data held by the Finance Department result in an uptake rate of between 0.79 and 1.92% higher than those held by the CHID. Locally, the Southwest Child Health (SWIFT) system, the programme used to calculate uptake rates by many of the PCTs across the country, excludes those children residing outside the boundary but registered within it. Coventry PCT's Cover of Vaccination Evaluated Rapidly (COVER) statistics are based on a subgroup of the responsible population.

CONCLUSIONS:
The computer technology currently utilized by the NHS provides inaccurate statistics for the COVER programme. Systematic under-reporting to the CHID results in moderately lowered uptake rates. A programming anomaly in the SWIFT system has resulted in the collection of data based on a subgroup of the responsible population. This undermines the validity of the statistics collected and renders comparability of data between different PCTs, particularly those using different systems, difficult.