Can the Brighton Collaboration case definitions be used to improve the quality of Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFI) reporting? Anaphylaxis as a case study.

The Brighton Collaboration (BC) was established in 2000 with the aim of developing globally accepted standardized case definitions for adverse events following immunizations (AEFI) as well as guidelines for the collection, analysis and presentation of surveillance data. Some of the BC case definitions are complex and this may limit their application for use in post-marketing vaccine surveillance. Barriers to the application of the BC case definitions include an incomplete description of an adverse event and inconsistencies in reporter use of adverse event terms. We have taken the BC case definition for anaphylaxis and developed a clinical checklist and glossary of terms used in the case definition. It is anticipated that these resources can be used at a community level by AEFI reporters. If used, these resources could improve the quality of adverse event reports which would facilitate the application of the BC case definition at a regional and/or national level.