The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) is a collaborative project among the Immunization Safety Office (ISO) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), eight large managed care organizations (MCOs), and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). The VSD was established in 1990 to monitor immunization safety and address the gaps in scientific knowledge about rare and serious side effects following immunization.
The VSD project includes a large linked database that utilizes administrative data sources at each MCO. Each participating site gathers data on vaccination (vaccine type, date of vaccination, concurrent vaccinations), medical outcomes (outpatient visits, inpatient visits, urgent care visits), birth data, and census data.
The VSD project allows for planned immunization safety studies as well as timely investigations of hypotheses that arise from review of medical literature, reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), changes in immunization schedules, or the introduction of new vaccines.
Objectives
- To conduct population-based research on immunization safety questions
- To evaluate immunization safety hypotheses that arise from medical literature, passive surveillance systems, adjustments to immunization schedules, and introduction of new vaccines
- To guide national immunization policy decisions
- To partner with healthcare providers, public health officials, and others to ensure the public has the best available information regarding the risks and benefits of immunizations
A list of VSD priority studies can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/iso/research_activties/vsd_studies.htm
A list of VSD publications can be found at
http://www.cdc.gov/od/science/iso/publications/vsd_publications.htm
