Objectives
To evaluate the effects of automatic appointment reminders sent to caregivers by mobile telephone on the attendance of immunization contact points among children aged 0 to 11 months old in the health district of Korhogo, Cote d’Ivoire
Methods
This was a randomized controlled study targeting the caregivers of children aged 0 to 11 months old living in the catchment area of 29 health centers from the health district of Korhogo, in Cote d’Ivoire. After recruitment organized during their child’s BCG vaccination, caregivers (n=1,596) were randomly assigned to two groups: SMS reminder group and control group. The main outcomes were the coverage for the five immunization contact points
Results
Vaccination coverage for Penta 1, 2 and 3 was 10.5%-15.9% higher for the SMS reminder group compared with controls (Penta 1: 86.6% vs. 76.1%; Penta 2: 81.0% vs. 67.3%; Penta 3: 74.2% vs 58.3%) corresponding to ~3 times higher relative odds of vaccination (Penta 1: RR= 2.84, 95% IC [1.85-4.37]; Penta 2: RR=2.80, 95% IC [1.88-4.16]; Penta 3: RR=2.68, 95% IC [1.83-3.91]). For receipt of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) at six-months, coverage levels were 24% higher in the SMS reminder group (64.7% vs. 40.7%) corresponding to a 4.5 increased odds of VAS receipt (RR=4.52, 95% IC [2.83-7.19])
Conclusions
Caregivers receiving mobile phone reminders were 2-5 more times likely to attend immunization and VAS contact points than those who did not receive them. These results suggest that the use of mobile phone reminders is an effective way to increase demand for immunization and VAS services
