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CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Targeted Vaccinations: Provider Reminders

CDC

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

Provider reminders let providers or other appropriate staff know when individual clients are due for vaccinations, through notations, stickers, or other prompts in clients' charts, or through computer databases or registries. Reminders can be directed to the primary healthcare provider or clinic staff.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends provider reminders on the basis of strong evidence of effectiveness in improving targeted vaccination coverage. Reviewed studies focused on influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. Although the review did not include an evaluation of the effectiveness of provider reminders when implemented alone in increasing hepatitis B vaccination coverage, the recommendation should be considered applicable to this vaccine as well. Additionally, the findings should be applicable to providers and staff in most healthcare settings where improvements in coverage are needed.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the programs is to increase vaccination coverage of patients through reminders to providers and other health care professionals.

Impact

The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends provider reminder interventions based on strong evidence of effectiveness in improving vaccination coverage:

-In adults, adolescents, and children
-When used alone or with additional components
-Across a range of intervention characteristics (e.g., computerized or simple reminders, checklists or flowcharts)
-In a range of settings and populations

Results / Accomplishments

Results from the Systematic Reviews:
29 studies were identified for the systematic review.

-Vaccination coverage: median increase of 16 percentage points
-These findings should be applicable to providers and staff in most healthcare settings where improvements in coverage are needed.
-Additional provider reminders for other preventive services or clinical care can be included with those for vaccinations; this has the potential to increase delivery of these services or treatments.
-All of the reminders in this review gave information to the provider at the time of a client's scheduled appointment.

15 additional studies from 1997-2007 found an overall increase of 10% in vaccination coverage. 5 studies using provider reminders alone found a 12% increase in vaccination coverage and 10 studies using provider reminders with additional components found a 10% increase in vaccination coverage.

About this Promising Practice

Primary Contact
The Community Guide
1600 Clifton Rd, NE
MS E69
Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 498-1827
communityguide@cdc.gov
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/
Topics
Health / Immunizations & Infectious Diseases
Source
The Community Preventive Services Task Force
Location
USA
For more details
Target Audience
Children, Adults
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance