Vancouver Community Primary Care Sites
Entering Immunization History in PARIS
Exceptions to Entering Immunizations in PARIS
Immunization Plans for a Vaccine Series
Enter an Immunization Plan (with Interventions)
PHC and PHSA Sites Only - Entering Immunizations in Profile EMR
Administer vaccine and complete the Intervention
Single Immunization with Repeats
Scenario 1: Document a vaccine that a client received elsewhere
Scenario 2: Client does not want to start the series until a later date
Vancouver Community Primary Care Sites
Entering Immunization History in PARIS
PARIS is the record of truth for immunizations. (Click here to see how to enter Immunizations in PARIS).
Immunizations are entered into PARIS following established workflows. Users gain access to the PARIS immunization entry function through an online training course that provides the required PARIS "tile."
Exceptions to Entering Immunizations in PARIS
Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are usually entered into ImmsBC by admin staff. However, as of this 2025, we’ve been informed that PARIS now communicates directly with the provincial database. This means that, technically, all immunizations can be entered into PARIS at any site.
That said, for workload management reasons, many sites continue to rely on admin staff for data entry. Some sites use paper one-writes, while others use EMR-based one-writes for COVID/influenza. Either method is acceptable, as long as the immunization is ultimately documented in either ImmsBC or PARIS to ensure it is recorded in the provincial database.
Immunization Workflow
- Review immunization status in the client’s EMR chart (using the updated information from PARIS).
- Administer the vaccine(s).
- Enter the vaccine(s) into PARIS.
- Refresh the EMR chart to ensure the immunization information is updated from PARIS.
- Create an intervention for any upcoming vaccines or future doses.
View Immunizations in EMR
In EMR, immunization information is located in two main locations:
Location 1: For immunizations entered in PARIS, a read-only history is imported into the EMR. This imported history is located in the patient’s Medical Record, in both the
a. Summary section
b. Immunization section
Location 2: For immunizations that are entered in EMR, clinic staff with the appropriate permissions (i.e. PHC and PHSA clinics) can view, enter, and administer from the Immunizations window.
For staff at VCH clinics, the Immunizations view is read-only.
Immunization Plans for a vaccine series
This section describes the EMR documentation workflow for a vaccine series (e.g. Hepatitis B series):
1. Enter a vaccine Immunization Plan (with Interventions)
Note: An Immunization Plan enrolls a patient into a vaccine series and an Intervention is a reminder
or a recall for the vaccine which is due.
2. Administer the vaccine and then complete the vaccine Intervention
3. New Intervention to show next dose due
Enter an Immunization Plan (with Interventions)
1. Click New Encounter
a. Click Immunizations in the Actions side segment bar
b. Click the Create New Plan icon
2. The New Intervention Set window opens.
a. Click the drop-down dots and Select Intervention Set window opens
b. Highlight the Intervention Set that is wanted and
c. click OK
The following information defaults into the fields:
i. Enrollment Date: Defaults to today’s date - the immunization plan start date
ii. POS: Defaults to users current POS, change if applicable
iii. Lead Clinician: Defaults to signed on user; change if applicable
d. Click OK when finished entering the immunization care plan information. The vaccine series will be listed as Interventions and vaccine due dates will be viewable in the Immunization Window
PHC and PHSA Sites Only: Entering Immunizations in Profile EMR
The EMR Immunizations functionality is available to PHC and PHSA clinics only. For VCH clinics, all immunizations must continue to be entered into PARIS (Click here to see how to enter Immunizations in PARIS.)
Administer vaccine and complete the Intervention
1. After administration of the vaccine, and with the New Encounter navigate to the Immunization window in the Actions
a. Locate the first vaccine of the series that is marked with status of Due/Still Due in the Immunization window.
Right click over the vaccine to be given to open the next window
a. Choose Complete
2. The Intervention Completion window will open.
a. Navigate to the tab that has the immunization, example: TWIN1.
b. Fill out the Batch/Expiry for the immunization
c. Click OK
The status will change on the Immunizations window as Completed
Note: The next Intervention due will appear in the patient’s Notifications window (if due within 30 days) and the clinic’s Intervention List. The first intervention will remain in the Notifications window until the clinician closes out of the EMR chart.
Single Immunization
This section describes the EMR documentation workflow for administering a single vaccine which is not part of a series (e.g. Fluviral)
1. Click Immunize Now
2. New window Immunize now will open
a. In Action Service field, enter imz
b. Select the single vaccine you want to enter
c. Enter remaining details (Batch/Expiry is mandatory)
d. Click OK
Tip: You can also set Repeats for single immunizations that require boosters, e.g. Tetanus, or annual flu shot.
Single Immunization with Repeats
1. Click Immunize Now
2. New window Immunize now will open
a. In Action Service field, enter imz
b. Select the vaccine you want to enter
c. Set the Repeat for the vaccine
d. Enter future repeats for the vaccine
e. Enter remaining details (Batch/Expiry is mandatory)
f. Click OK
Documented in the Encounter as well as in Immunizations Module:
Other Scenarios
Scenario 1: Document a vaccine that a client received elsewhere
Document a vaccine that a client received elsewhere. This could be a single vaccination, or, they may have started a vaccination series somewhere else and want to complete it at your clinic.
Example: The client started the Hep B series elsewhere and requires a next dose today (e.g. Started 1 st Hep B 1 month ago and due for 2nd dose of Hep B). Document the previous dose:
Step 1. Click Immunize Now icon
Step 2. New window Immunize Now will open
a. In Action Service field, type imz
b. Select the vaccine (in the example, the choice is: (IMZ) Hepatitis B vaccine ENGERIX-B (20mcg/mL); 1 ml) that you want to enter
c. Change Concluded to the date that the vaccine was Done Elsewhere
d. Click on Done Elsewhere
e. Type in Comment: done elsewhere
f. Click OK
When Done Elsewhere is selected, Batch and Expiry Date are not required.
If entering a single vaccination that was done elsewhere, end the process here.
If entering part of a series, continue:
Document the current dose:
1. Click on Immunize Now and follow the steps for entering a single vaccination.
2. In Action Service field, type imz and select the correct vaccine
3. Set the Repeat Date for the next dose, and select an end date (last day of the month when the final vaccination is due)
Rationale: if not end dated, the system will continue to create repeat interventions – this is not correct for a vaccination series that ends after a specific number of vaccinations
This is what it looks like in the client record:
1st Vaccination of the series: Completed elsewhere, documented with the correct date
2nd vaccination of the series:
Scenario 2: Client does not want to start the series until a later date
Client in clinic today but does not want to start the series until a later date.
1. Do not enroll in the plan until the day of the visit
2. If you want a reminder to enroll the client, then enter a New Intervention. In Reason type something to describe the Intervention