Reminder/Recall: Best Practices for Immunization Information Systems

Background:
The Modeling of Immunization Registry Operations Workgroup (MIROW) of the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) was formed to develop a “Best Practice” guidebook for various aspects of immunization information systems (IIS) functionality. Reminder/recall was the fourth topic developed by this group.

Objectives:
Provide guidelines that encourage consistent common practices for conducting reminder/recall in IIS, improving the timeliness and completion of recommended immunizations and increasing immunization compliance within a population.

Methods:
Twelve subject matter experts with diverse backgrounds participated in 3 day facilitated meeting, followed by post-meeting teleconferences to analyze existing practices and formulate consensus-based recommendations. The workgroup utilized modern business engineering and facilitation techniques, which included activity diagramming, domain modeling and creation of business rules and principles.

Results:
•Reviewed and analyzed existing “as-is” reminder/recall procedures in various IIS.
•Established and re-confirmed a consistent terminology using domain modeling techniques.
•Compiled a list of current problems and barriers affecting reminder/recall operations.
•In order to address identified problems and barriers, formulated principles, defined business rules, and documented general recommendations for reminder/recall operations.
•Developed a process map for the reminder/recall operations, allocating existing problems, developed principles, business rules, and general recommendations to relevant areas of the process map.

Conclusions:
Use of facilitation and business modeling techniques enabled development of common consensus-based best practice approaches to reminder/recall operations in immunization information systems. Resulting recommendations geared to the IIS practitioner include:
•Peer-reviewed practical guidelines for the reminder/recall topic.
•Strategies on how to address related problems, issues, and barriers.
•A variety of general principles, specific business rules, and recommendations to apply.
•A set of agreed upon terms and definitions.
•Illustrative examples and templates.