Targeted Vaccinations: Provider Reminders

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.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

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.

Task Force Finding

 

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Seven studies were identified for the systematic review.

• Vaccination coverage: median increase of 18 percentage points (9 study arms)
• 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.

These results were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice, and policy related to vaccinations to prevent diseases.

Supporting Materials

• Analytic framework [PDF - 728KB] - see Figure 1 on page 251
• Summary evidence table [PDF - 728KB] - See Appendix on pages 265-279

Publications

CDC. Improving influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among adults aged <65 years at high risk: a report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR 2005;54(No. RR-5):1-12.

Task Force for Community Preventive Services. Recommendations to improve targeted vaccination coverage among high-risk adults. [PDF - 97KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);231-7.

Ndiaye SM, Hopkins DP, Smith SJ, et al. Methods for conducting systematic reviews of targeted vaccination strategies for The Guide to Community Preventive Services. [PDF - 132KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);238-47. 

Ndiaye SM, Hopkins DP, Shefer AM, et al. Interventions to improve influenza, pneumococcal polysaccharide, and hepatitis B vaccination coverage among high-risk adults: a systematic review. [PDF - 728KB] Am J Prev Med 2005:28(5S);248-79.

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Vaccine preventable diseases. [PDF - 97KB] In : Zaza S, Briss PA, Harris KW, eds. The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Promote Health? Atlanta (GA): Oxford University Press;2005:223-303.

More Community Guide publications about Vaccinations to Prevent Diseases

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Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Targeted vaccinations: provider reminders. www.thecommunityguide.org/vaccines/targeted/providerreminders.html. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: October 2001