Development of the Handbook

New chapter sections or major chapter updates are based on literature searches. These searches ensure that technical writers from the National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation have access to relevant information from the latest medical literature. Literature searches help to identify important issues for updates of Handbook chapters. In addition, selected dissemination of information searches allows writers to collect new information on key search topics.

Databases and searches

Technical writers from the National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation identify focused clinical questions for each of the Handbook chapters, and design and conduct searches to answer these questions. Up to 23 electronic databases are used for the searches:

• MEDLINE
• EMBASE
• Cochrane Library (when required), including Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Methods Studies, Health Technology Assessment Database and NHS Economic Evaluation Database
• Cumulated Index Nursing and Allied Health Literature (when required)
• Australian-focused Informit databases (when required), including
  • Australasian Medical Index
  • Australian Public Affairs Information Service
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Bibliography
  • Australian Sport Database
  • Australian Criminology Database — Health
  • Drug Database
  • Health & Society Database
  • HIV/AIDS Database
  • Health Collection
  • Indigenous Collection
  • Rural and Remote Health Database
  • Science and Geography Education

If required, additional databases and resources are consulted, such as clinical trial registries. The search scope is broad, to ensure that all relevant articles are retrieved. Previous Handbook searches are examined to determine the scope required for the new searches, and similar search strategies are used, where possible. This ensures that the information retrieved is consistent and considers new terms added to the databases.

Search strings

Thesaurus terms — the controlled vocabulary terms used in the database — are used whenever possible. This ensures relevant and accurate retrieval. All subheadings assigned to the subject headings are generally included. Boolean operators are used as appropriate. Keyword searching is used where required, especially in the absence of an appropriate thesaurus term or if the database does not have thesaurus terms. Items discussing animals only are generally removed. The corresponding evidence summary describes the specific search terms and databases used to answer each clinical question.

The Handbook recommendations do not address the cost-effectiveness of vaccines or vaccine schedules. Since January 2006, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has assessed the cost-effectiveness of vaccines. The PBAC advises the Australian Government about vaccine funding under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) and/or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Most of the vaccines in the Handbook’s recommendations are funded by:

• the NIP
• the PBS
• other programs, such as special schemes and state- or territory-based programs