Guidance on back-to-school immunization recommendations and how to access records

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) - As school starts up again, immunizations are on the minds of many, but keeping track of records can be challenging for both patients and healthcare providers alike.

That’s why the Alaska Department of Health is encouraging the use of a program called Docket.

According to nurses at the Fairbanks Public Health Center, taking in new patients involves needing to access immunization records. Those records aren’t always in hand when new patients come in, which can lead to delays and other complications when seeking care.

The State of Alaska has adopted a program called Docket to help remedy that issue.

“It is a way for everybody to access their vaccine records on their phone or personal computer,” said Becca Wachter, a nurse at the Fairbanks Public Health Center.

Wachter said it’s important, and the app is useful, since it helps folks access those records anywhere they go for care. It can also help reduce the stress of navigating healthcare providers and asking for records, she said.

Parents and patients using the app and tracking vaccination history will be able to tell whether or not they or their child are due for vaccines or boosters.

“Folks can look and see what vaccines they’ve already received and the dates, they can see what vaccines are due, what vaccines are recommended,” explained Mary Killian, who also works as a nurse at the Fairbanks Public Health Center. “So, basically, getting their records, and then knowing what to do.”

The easier access can come in handy as families prepare to enroll students in school, as well as deciding whether or not to follow through with vaccine recommendations.

“So, kindergarten shots and then again, around 11 to 12 years old, there are more recommended vaccines at that time, and also when they get around 15 to 16,” Killian said.

For older students headed off for college, the tool can also be helpful if students are attending a school that has vaccine requirements.

“Some colleges require meningococcal,” she said, “and so that would be an age where we might, you know, be trying to do some catch up, meningococcal vaccines up to 18 years.”

“Folks like to travel, or they may move from state to state, and they have access to their vaccine records then,” she added. Docket can also be used in Idaho, Minnesota, New Jersey, Utah and Wyoming.

Patients using Docket must be 18 or older, and vaccine information is to be entered into Docket by taking vaccine records to a health provider.

Some records, such as military or out-of-state vaccination records, will need to be entered into the system by an Alaska based healthcare provider.

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