Clinical Tip: A quick, accurate way to chart vaccinations

Regrettably, vaccine manufacturers do not provide self-stick labels printed with the lot number, manufacturer, and expiration date. This information must be written in the patient's chart along with the site of administration, date of administration, signature of the person administering the vaccine, and parents' signature. The process takes at least four minutes and is fraught with potential for serious errors in documentation. Variability in the quality of handwriting compounds the problem. I now use a return-address-type sticker with all the necessary information printed on it. The stickers save my office staff hours of repetitious work-and me a headache.

Amar Dave, MDOttawa, Ill.

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