Potentially dangerous errors in the immunisation records of WA children have been linked to GPs failing to report vaccinations or using outdated computer software.
A WA Health Department audit has found holes in State and national immunisation data, with some children wrongly listed as only partially vaccinated.
Its study of 500 Perth children listed on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register as partially vaccinated found that half were actually fully vaccinated.
The errors were linked to a lack of knowledge by GPs about how to update records and issues with their practice software.
Paul Effler, from the department’s communicable disease control unit, said it was possible some children had come from overseas or interstate and their immunisation details had not been entered into the database.
But some GPs did not know how to record details correctly or were using old versions of computer software that was not picking up the information.
“What this means is that our vaccine coverage may be better than the data suggests but more importantly these are children’s medical records so they need to be accurate,” Dr Effler said. “People will make clinical decisions based on what is in them.”
The department last week sent an email to immunisation providers, including GPs, urging them to ensure they recorded any vaccinations given to schoolchildren.
It said figures suggested a big proportion of vaccines administered to Year 8 students in general practice were not reported to the Statewide school-based immunisation database.
“This can result in incomplete records for these students and cause possible vaccination errors,” the email said.
Dr Effler said that while only about 2 per cent of Year 8 students had their vaccinations with a GP, usually because they were away from school on the immunisation day, it was important their details were included in the data.
The database was the main record of adolescent vaccinations available in WA.