Chancen und Herausforderungen bei der Einführung des elektronischen Impfpasses - eine qualitative Studie.

Background The digitalization of vaccination management is intended to increase vaccination rates. Part of the digitization strategy is the use of an electronic vaccination card (EVC), which has been available to people with statutory health insurance in Germany since 01.01.2022. The study aimed to find out how the planned concept of the EVC can be improved following assessments from various doctors and medical assistants that use the system. Methods In a qualitative study design, guided interviews were conducted with practicing physicians from the fields of general (n = 4) and pediatrics and adolescent medicine (n = 3) as well as with medical assistants (n = 4). The evaluation was carried out qualitatively by content analysis according to Mayring. Results The respondents have a fundamentally positive view of the introduction of the EVC. They hope for a better overview, constant availability, and simplified exchange of data. Above all, the transfer of vaccination data from the analogue to the digital vaccination card, including the functionality of the telematics infrastructure interface, pose challenges. The respondents would like to see further functions added, such as a reminder function, the possibility of transmitting the vaccination data to a surveillance system and information on available vaccines. The respondents assume a predominantly positive reaction from their patients but consider good education to be necessary in order to achieve widespread use of the EVC. Conclusions The practice teams assume that the introduction of the EVC will initially lead to additional work. In the long term, they hope for positive changes (workload reduction, time savings or error minimization). So far, the EVC does not seem to have arrived in practice; to what extent this will happen remains to be seen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]