Patient reminder and recall interventions to improve immunization rates

Area of Science:

• Public Health Interventions
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Despite rising immunization rates, coverage remains suboptimal, leading to preventable diseases.
• Increasing complexity of immunization schedules and demands on primary care necessitate effective interventions.
• Patient reminder/recall systems are a prominent strategy to enhance vaccination uptake.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various patient reminder and recall interventions for improving immunization receipt.
• To synthesize evidence from diverse study designs and populations regarding reminder/recall efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series.
• Searched multiple databases (CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL) and grey literature up to January 2017.
• Included studies evaluating immunization-focused patient reminder or recall interventions in children, adolescents, and adults.

Main Results:

• Patient reminder/recall interventions likely improve immunization proportions (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.23-1.35) based on moderate certainty evidence.
• High certainty evidence shows postcards (RR 1.18), text messages (RR 1.29), and autodialers (RR 1.17) effectively increase immunization receipt.
• Reminders significantly improve childhood (RR 1.22) and adolescent (RR 1.29) vaccinations, with probable benefits for influenza and other adult vaccines.

Conclusions:

• Patient reminder and recall systems are effective in primary care settings for increasing immunization coverage.
• These interventions are a valuable tool for improving public health by boosting vaccination rates.
• The findings support the continued implementation and optimization of reminder/recall strategies.