Overview of the RIVIAM Digital Immunisations Service

The RIVIAM Digital Immunisations Service is comprised of a number of components that support the different workflow phases present in a typical Immunisations programme.

RIVIAM has been used to support immunisation programmes covering Flu, HPV, DTP, MenACWY and Covid.

If you look at a typical immunisations programme, it is comprised of the following phases:

eConsent

Consent is required for children and vulnerable adults who need to be vaccinated.

RIVIAM provides an online form that varies in terms of information captured around underlying conditions and allergies, depending on the programme being run. There is an option (typically for clinics) where patients can choose and book an immunisation centre and timeslot. RIVIAM provide a link to the Immunisations team for them to forward to their patients.

Triage of Consents

Most consents will not require any form of triage, but some situations require additional review. These do vary by programme but would include:

• Clinical issues
• DoB issues
• Conflicting consents
• Relationship issues

These will all require further investigation (typically by a clinician), resulting in an outcome where the patient either can or cannot be immunised.

RIVIAM provides a workflow for clinicians using a series of queues based on the key triage questions. Patients would be allocated to these queues based on their responses in the eConsent form. Clinicians can then work through these queues according to their clinical policies and update the patient's immunisation status accordingly.

Setting up Clinics

Based on the list of people to be immunised, many clinics need to be set up, and both patients and clinicians are allocated to them.

RIVIAM workflow enables the set up of clinics and the allocation of clinicians and patients. Patients can be pre-allocated based on school or choose a location if based at a clinic. If clinic slots are bookable, patients can choose a location and time at the start of the process, creating immunisation lists for clinics. Otherwise, RIVIAM would provide a list of people to be immunised at a location (such as at a school). 

Immunisation Clinics

Clinicians run the clinics based on the preset lists of patients. Then, they record the outcomes for those patients that they see.

RIVIAM provides two ways to manage these activities.

• Clinicians can use a spreadsheet, which they download before each clinic, fill in on the day with the immunisation outcomes, and upload it to RIVIAM.
• Clinicians can use an IOS/Windows app, which allows them to access the clinic data, review patient records, record the immunisation outcomes and upload the data into RIVIAM.

You would use one approach or the other, but typically not both.

Reporting Outcomes

Following the clinics, the outcomes would be uploaded to clinical databases such as SystmOne, CHIS & NIVS.

RIVIAM can automatically upload immunisation outcome data into SystmOne once it has been received back into RIVIAM from the clinics. RIVIAM also provides outcome data in upload formats to be loaded into CHIS and NIVS.

The next sections will drill down into each of the stages and expand on the key steps and activities that take place, along with where RIVIAM plays a role.