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Use of automated reminders for tuberculin skin test return
E D Tanke1, C M Martinez, V O Leirer
1Decision Systems, Los Altos, California, USA. EDTanke@AOL.com
Introduction:
This study assessed the impact of automated telephone reminders on tuberculin skin test returns.
Methods:
A total of 701 English-speaking and Spanish-speaking patients of a public health immunization program were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. Those in the intervention group received an automated telephone reminder to return for the reading of their skin test.
Results:
Automated telephone reminders significantly reduced return failures 53% (from 14% to 7%) when the scheduled interval between test administration and reading was three days, but had no impact for a two-day interval. Effectiveness of reminders did not differ significantly by patient age, gender, or language (English versus Spanish).
Conclusions:
Results suggest the value of automated reminder calls for intra-appointment intervals as short as three days.