Pharmacists will soon need to record pregnancy status in AIR

Reporting additional patient information when administering vaccines will soon be required for all vaccination providers.

Here’s why it matters and how to comply.

What’s changing?

Under various regulations, pharmacists must report vaccines administered to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

Changes to the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 mean it is mandatory for all vaccination providers to report the administration of COVID-19, influenza, National Immunisation Program (NIP) and Japanese encephalitis virus vaccines to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR), a Department of Health and Aged Care  spokesperson told Australian Pharmacist.

‘Legislative changes mean … it will be mandatory for all vaccination providers to report to AIR information about whether an individual was pregnant at the time of vaccine administration,’ said the spokesperson.

When does this change come into effect?

The new mandatory reporting requirements apply from Saturday, 1 March 2025.

What’s the reason for the change?

The Department of Health and Aged Care spokesperson said that the collection of antenatal data is important as it ensures that AIR contains a complete and reliable dataset to enable the monitoring of:

• immunisation coverage and administration
• the effectiveness and safety of maternal vaccines and vaccination programs, such as the:
  • NIP
  • Influenza
  • other respiratory vaccines.

‘Antenatal data [also] enables vaccination providers to identify infants who are eligible for the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation product Beyfortus (nirsevimab),’ the spokesperson said. 

‘Beyfortus is available for free under state and territory programs for infants up to 8 months and children up to 2 years, whose mother did not receive an RSV vaccine during pregnancy.’

If I record in practice management software, do I need to do anything differently?

If using MedAdvisor for pharmacy, no.

Pharmacists using MedAdvisor for Pharmacy do not need to make any immediate workflow changes to remain compliant, Aaron D’Souza, Strategic Account Manager – Government Programs at MedAdvisor, told AP.

‘Our platform already supports recording the required pregnancy status information in a structured and accessible way,’ he said.

‘MedAdvisor for Pharmacy will continue to support compliance by allowing a pharmacist to record a patient’s pregnancy status using the Vaccine (Funding) Type field.’ 

Will there be further changes to practice software after 1 March? 

Software developers have until October 2025 to implement this change into their systems. 

‘MedAdvisor will directly inform its users of changes to the interface,’ said Mr D’Souza.

‘MedAdvisor will continue to monitor regulatory changes and update our platform as needed, ensuring a smooth transition once software updates become mandatory.’

The ‘State’ and ‘Private’ fields currently found in the Vaccine (Funding) Type section will be removed and replaced with a more streamlined ‘Other’ field,’ said Mr D’Souza. 

‘This adjustment aligns with regulatory updates and ensures greater consistency in vaccine funding classification.’

Will I need to do anything differently if I enter vaccination directly into AIR via PRODA?

Yes. When reporting mandatory vaccines to AIR, vaccination providers will be required to report antenatal information by selecting ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, the Department of Health and Aged Care spokesperson confirmed.

‘When uploading a vaccination to AIR, providers can record a patient’s pregnancy status through the Record Encounter screen on the AIR website,’ said the spokesperson.

The AIR website accessed via PRODA has already been updated to allow vaccination providers to record if a person was pregnant at the time of receiving a vaccination, said a spokesperson for Services Australia.

Does this mean pharmacists need to ask about pregnancy for every vaccination event?

Yes they should, according to the Department of Health and Aged Care spokesperson.

‘Vaccination providers are encouraged to report antenatal information for other vaccines administered, as this ensures their patients have a complete AIR record.’