Monday, October 18, 2004 - 3:50 PM
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Perspectives of Private Providers Regarding Statewide Immunization Registries

BACKGROUND:
Broad private provider participation is critical to the success of immunization registries. Perspectives of physicians who do and do not participate in registries can inform strategies to increase provider participation.

OBJECTIVE:
To assess private provider perspectives of immunization registries.

METHOD:
In 15 states with statewide population-based registries, separate mailed surveys were distributed to physicians at private practices identified as registry participants or non-participants. Frequencies and bivariate associations were calculated.

RESULT:
Most registry participants reportedly use the registry to input data (83%) and review records (76%); only 12% use it for reminder/recall and 27% to assess practice immunization coverage. The strongest influence on participation was the need to consolidate records from multiple sites (63%). For states with a registry mandate, the mandate was also a strong influence (56%). For almost 20% cost/staff time was a significant problem, while 16% felt that problems with software/computer compatibility were significant.
Among non-participants, primary reasons for not participating were the expected cost/staff time to participate (37%) and already having a system for recording and monitoring immunizations (37%). Compatibility of registry technology with office computers was most often cited as essential for participation (60%). About 66% of respondents receiving the non-participant survey reported actually participating in their state’s registry.
Other analyses explore variations in these results based on practice size, state mandates, and statewide proportion of private providers participating.

CONCLUSION:
Most registry participants report active participation with few problems. The problems they report are generally consistent with the barriers reported by non-participants. Designing registries to address issues of technology compatibility and the time burden on practices may encourage provider participation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
To improve understanding of physician factors related to participation in immunization registries.

  Recorded presentation

See more of A Time to Listen: Providers' Perspectives on Immunization Registries
See more of The 2004 Immunization Registry Conference