Computer-generated reminder calls may be the shot in the arm parents need to bring their children in for immunizations, according to a Georgia study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"There is no magic bullet, no one answer," said the CDC's Gene Dini. "But this is one way clinics can run a little more efficiently and get more children their vaccinations."Results of the Georgia test have led the CDC to urge health departments across the country to use the strategy; the CDC is considering whether to help fund the systems.
To test the effectiveness of reminder calls, the CDC set up computer systems in 14 Georgia health departments that automatically phoned the families of children due for vaccinations. The systems also called for children who missed one of the four shots needed for full immunization.
The computers called the homes of 3,257 children. For comparison, another group of 3,366 children got no reminders.
The calls resulted in a 30 percent increase in the number of children who received their shots on time and doubled the number of children who returned after missing a scheduled shot, the CDC concluded.