Tuesday, October 19, 2004 - 2:15 PM
3

Using Data to Evaluate the Impact of Registry Recalls and Reminders on Providers and Parents

BACKGROUND:
ALERT mails recall postcards to families of children who are past due for shots at 26-30 months of age, but the system did not provide information about the impact of recall reports and postcards. In 2004 ALERT built a Recall Tracking System to streamline processing and to monitor improvements in child immunization status.

OBJECTIVE:
Use ALERT data to develop consistent methods to evaluate registry recall interventions, improve processes, and assess outcomes.

METHOD:
Data were extracted from ALERT at three intervals to measure immunization rates: 1) immediately prior to monthly recall; 2) after clinics had an opportunity to update shot histories; and 3) two months after recall postcards mailing to parents. All children were born in 2001 with geographic and clinic denominators for each recall session based on last clinic providing a shot and most recent child address.

RESULT:
ALERT assessed 22,994 children from 351 Oregon cities and towns for up-to-date status based on 4:3:1:3:3:1. Clinic updates to ALERT data shortly before postcard mailing improved UTD rates by 9 percentage points statewide.

CONCLUSION:
The Recall System provides an effective data quality tool and feedback loop with clinics, identifies practices and geographic areas for immunization outreach, and provides a framework for prospective studies that will validate the impact of postcards on parent behavior.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe how to engage providers in a patient recall process, validate existing registry data, and improve overall data completeness.

  Recorded presentation

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See more of The 2004 Immunization Registry Conference