A cluster randomized controlled trial of a modified vaccination clinical reminder for primary care providers

Adult vaccination rates in the United States fall short of national goals, and rates are particularly low for Black Americans. We tested a provider-focused vaccination uptake intervention: a modified electronic health record clinical reminder that bundled together three adult vaccination reminders, presented patient vaccination history, and included talking points for providers to address vaccine hesitancy.

Primary care teams at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, who saw 28,941 patients during this period, were randomly assigned to receive either the modified clinical reminder (N = 44 teams) or the status quo (N = 40 teams).

Uptake of influenza and other adult vaccinations was 1.6 percentage points higher in the intervention group, which was not statistically significant (confidence interval, CI [-1.3, 4.4], p = .28). The intervention had similar effects on Black and White patients and did not reduce the disparity in vaccination rates between these groups.

Provider-focused interventions are a promising way to address vaccine hesitancy, but they may need to be more intensive than a modified clinical reminder to have appreciable effects on vaccination uptake. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).