Adverse Effects Following Immunization (AEFI)
SORMAS provides a module to track AEFI (Adverse Effects Following Immunization). It is directly connected with the Immunization module and requires immunization data to be present in SORMAS.
The module is a digital reproduction of the WHO reporting form and enables countries to report possible AEFIs faster by leveraging already existing information in SORMAS and avoiding unneccessary duplication of data.
Table of Contents:
Dashboard
The AEFI Dashboard can be accessed by clicking on the Button “Adverse Events” in the upper right corner while in the “Dashboard” Section of SORMAS.
It will show you an overview of the current AEFIs that are tracked in the system.
The data can be filtered by different periods, date, regions or specific diseases by using the filter options on the top of the screen.
Create an AEFI
New AEFIs are created from the user interface of an existing Immunization.
When opening an Immunization, SORMAS will show all Adverse Events for this specific immunization in the top right in a box called “Adverse Events”.
AEFI are created by clicking the button “New Adverse Event”.
Adverse Events can only be created if there is at least one Vaccination registered for this specific Immunization. If there are no Vaccinations registered, the button will be inactive.
For more information on how to register a vaccination, please see the documentation about Immunizations.
After clicking “New Adverse Event”, the User interface for editing AEFIs will show up.
Please note, the Adverse Event UUID will not show up until the AEFI is actually saved for the first time.
On the right side of the screen, the form will show you information about other data this AEFI is linked to. Specifically the Person as well as the Immunization.
The section “Vaccinations” will show you a list of all registered vaccinations for the specific Immunization this AEFI is linked to.
With the button “Select suspect vaccination” you are able to select an entry from this list and mark it as the suspected source of the AEFI.
If a vaccination is not showing up here, you need to double check if it is correctly registered as a vaccination on the Immunization you are currently creating an AEFI for.
When clicking the button, a popup will appear that lets you select one entry form the list. Click on the entry you want to mark as suspect vaccination and then click on “Save”.
When you are done filling out the form, click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the screen and the AEFI will be created and immediately be visible on the AEFI Dashboard.
AEFI Directory
By clink on the “Adverse Events” Button in the menu on the left side of the screen, you can open the AEFI Directory. It will show you all registered AEFIs in the system that you have access to.
(Also see “Controlling Access to the AEFI Module”)
Like the case directory or contact directory this view allows you to filter the list of all AEFIs by multiple values (Click “Show more filters” for more options) or export the data for further processing, if required.
By clicking on the link in the column “AEFI ID” you can open an already created AEFI and view / edit / delete / archive it. (Depending on the current user’s rights)
Create an AEFI Investigation
For AEFIs marked as “serious”, you will have the option to also create an investigation. A new box will appear on the right side of the screen that shows all current investigations and allows you to create a new entry.
The box “Investigations” will not be visible unless the value “Serious” is set to “Yes” and the AEFI is saved.
When clicking on “New Investigation” the user interface for creating a new AEFI investigation will show up.
For easier data entry, it is possible to expand / collapse the different sections on the form by clicking on a sections headline. By default all but the first section will be collapsed when loading the form.
The following screenshot shows the full form with all sections expanded.
AEFI Investigations Directory
By clink on the “Adverse Events” Button in the menu on the left side of the screen and then on “Adverse Event Investigations” at the top of the screen, you can open the AEFI Investigations Directory. It will show you all registered AEFI Investigations in the system that you have access to.
(Also see “Controlling Access to the AEFI Module”)
Like the case directory or contact directory this view allows you to filter the list of all AEFI Investigations by multiple values (Click “Show more filters” for more options) or export the data for further processing, if required.
Controlling Access to the AEFI module
SORMAS provides multiple rights that can be granted to a user to control access to the AEFI module.
We recommend to never assign rights to individual users, but use roles instead that provide specific rights to users. For more information on how to set up rights and roles, see Admin User Manual)
You can grant users / roles the following rights (This affects both the AEFIs as well as the AEFI investigations):
View the AEFI dashboard
View existing AEFIs
Create new AEFIs
Delete existing AEFIs
Edit existing AEFIs
Arschive existing AEFIs
Export AEFIs
