Creating custom immunisation clinical items

The Immunisation Vaccine dataset is regularly updated as new immunisations are released onto the market. If your site regularly upgrades to the latest version of Communicare you will have the most up-to-date Immunisation Vaccine dataset.

When new immunisations are released, details about the immunisation are posted on the User Portal. Raise a request with Communicare Support to have your Immunisation Vaccine dataset updated.

If your site chooses to add an immunisation to the Communicare database between upgrades, you must follow the format described below. When your site upgrades to the latest Immunisation Vaccine dataset, and the central import disables any local terms you have created and adds the central term. If you did not follow the format when you created an immunisation clinical item in the local database there may be potential impacts on reporting, such as a duplicate clinical items.

To create a new immunisation clinical item:
  1. As an Administrator, select File > Reference Tables > Clinical Item types.
  2. In the Clinical Item Type Maintenance window, click Add iconAdd.
  3. In the New Item: Properties window, on the General tab:
    1. In the Formal Terms field, enter Immunisation;new_immunisation_name
      For example, Immunisation;Adacel
      • Use a capital letter "I" for immunisation
      • Do not insert a space either side of the semi colon
      • Use a capital letter for the immunisation name
    2. Copy the term from the Formal Terms field to the Natural Language field.
    3. From the Class list, select Immunisation.
    4. From the Topic list, select the topic that aligns most closely with the immunisation.
    5. From the Viewing Rights list, select Common, unless there is a compelling reason to use a different viewing right.
    6. Set Recallable to make the immunisation recallable.
    7. Set Enabled.
    8. Do not set Allow Recall Expiry unless there is a significant reason to have a recall expiry for the immunisation.
    9. Set Record of occurrence to Date only.
  4. Click Advanced and provide the following information.
    1. In the Export Code field, enter the AIR export code.
      The export code enables the transmission of the immunisation notification to the AIR. A list of the AIR vaccine codes can be found on the Services Australia - AIR vaccine code formats website.
    2. In the ICPC 2 Plus pane, in the Code field, enter the ICPC-2 PLUS code.
      The ICPC-2 PLUS code can be inferred from other immunisations with the same topic in Communicare or by researching the ICPC-2 PLUS website.
    3. If the immunisation requires a definition or instruction, in the Definition of field, enter instructions.
    4. All other fields can be left as they are, no further configuration is required.
  5. On the Keywords & Qualifiers tab, click Add iconAdd to add a row, then the caret in the row and start typing the keyword you want to add for the immunisation.
    Example keywords
    Tip:
    To list this new immunisation in the Immunisation shortcut list in each patient’s clinical record, choose $Immunisation as one of the keywords. To display this new immunisation in the Clinical Terms Browser when clinicians enter Immunisation as a search term, choose Immunisation as one of the keywords.
  6. Repeat step 5, adding all keywords that you think clinicians might use when trying to find the clinical item. If the keyword you want to use is not available, click Edit Keyword Table and add a new keyword.
  7. On the Groups tab, set any groups that apply.
  8. Click Save.
The immunisation is added to the Clinical Terms Browser. If you added $Immunisation as one of the keywords, it is also added to the Immunisation shortcut list in each patient’s clinical record