Algorithm Formalization for Decision Making in Influenza Vaccination

Abstract

Influenza is an important public health problem with consequences on the health of people, but also at the state level with social and health costs due to the morbidity and mortality produced. Vaccination is an act of care of high clinical complexity, which can be learned and trained, so that decision-making in vaccination requires elements of judgment that act logically in a cascade. The creation of algorithms and their implementation in computer systems will identify susceptible people more quickly and improve the competence in the administration of vaccines. For the creation of the algorithm, the variables and their relationships were identified through mathematical formulation. As a result, the nine variables for vaccination that result in 47 different clinical situations were identified (29 "non-vaccination" and 18 "vaccination" situations). The formalization of algorithms in vaccine administration allows to represent the process by which the professional carries out the decision making process.

Keywords: Algorithms; Clinical; Decision Support Systems; Influenza Vaccines.