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Resources » Projects	- | +
PCIRN Vaccine Coverage Theme

Public Health Ontario is taking part in the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) – Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Influenza Research Network (PCIRN), a pan-Canadian vaccine research network that conducts applied public health research in preparation for and during influenza pandemics.

PCIRN provides timely information on the safety and effectiveness of pandemic influenza mass immunization programs, helping to assure Canadians that the public health immunization response to pandemics is safe, effective and reaching all segments of the population who require it.

The network’s priorities are being addressed through five research themes including rapid trials, rapid implementation, vaccine coverage, vaccine safety and vaccine effectiveness. PHO is supporting the vaccine coverage theme, which is developing methodologies for assessing pandemic vaccine coverage, especially in isolated communities and cohorts of concern.  The specific aims of our theme are to:

1. Identify the barriers that prevent public health authorities from entering individual-level data into their information systems at the point of vaccine delivery in various health-care settings.
   
2. Clarify the data requirements of immunization planners for vaccine coverage.
   
   
3. Identify and evaluate approaches to collecting immunization data in various health-care settings where vaccines are delivered (e.g. public health mass vaccination clinics, physician offices, institutions).
   
   
4. Develop efficient approaches for point-of-care electronic data collection by evaluating innovative technologies.

PCIRN serves as a resource for PHAC, other federal and provincial agencies, and vaccine manufacturers.  It was created in May 2009, when PHAC and CIHR jointly announced $10.8 million of funding over three years.  An additional commitment of $2.7 million over three years was announced in August 2009 to accelerate planning and procedures for the evaluation of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine.

For additional information, please visit the vaccine coverage page on the PCIRN website.

PCIRN vaccine coverage theme team members:

• Dr. Jeff Kwong, lead
• Sherman Quan, project manager
• Christine Heidebrecht, research associate
• Jennifer Pereira, research associate
• Susan Quach, research associate