P1030 - To Call or Not to Call: the Impact of Phone Call Reminders on Influenza Vaccination Rates

Objective: The effects of reminder systems on seasonal influenza vaccination rates are largely inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of personalized phone call reminders on seasonal influenza vaccine rates in pediatric patients.

Methods: A randomized list (n=300) of children aged 6 months to 18 years, seen at Phoenix Children’s Primary and Complex Care teaching practice, were evenly divided into control and intervention groups. A separate list of patients from rural zip codes was created (n=50). The intervention groups received a phone call from a medical student team member once the influenza vaccine became available (10/22/18-11/13/18). The call discussed the importance of the flu vaccine and reminded parents to schedule a nurse visit for administration. If the call was not answered, a scripted message was left including information for scheduling. In the fall of 2019, vaccine rates from the previous season were determined using the Arizona State Immunization System.

Results: Overall, 279 patients were included. Patients were excluded if they were medically ineligible for the vaccine, no message could be left, or if they had received the vaccine prior to the call. Of the calls, 52% were answered and 48% were messaged. Of the children who receive the vaccine at the end of the 2018-2019 flu season, there was no difference whether or not they received the call (p= 0.13). There was no significant difference in the vaccination rates when comparing rural and urban subgroups (32.4% vs 27.9%, p=0.54). Live-answer calls had higher flu vaccine rates than those who had messages left (49.3% vs 22.4%, p=0.005).

Conclusions: Phone call reminders may be effective at increasing seasonal influenza rates in the pediatric populations. The current study argues that this is only the case if guardians answer the calls and are able to speak directly with a clinic team member. Limitations are lower than state average vaccine rates, which may represent factors related to the population or incomplete reporting. More research is needed to determine generalizability of findings.