Parental and provider preferences and concerns regarding text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccinations

OBJECTIVE: To assess parental- provider- and medical staff opinions about text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccination. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2011 among 200 parents of 6-59 month-old children- 26 providers- and 20 medical staff at four academically-affiliated pediatric practices in New York City with text messaging experience. Survey questions addressed interest in- preferences for- and concerns/barriers related to vaccine-related text message reminder/recall. RESULTS: Parents were primarily Latino- Spanish-speaking- and had a high school education or less. Most parents owned a text message-enabled cell phone (89%) and used text messaging services (97%). While 84% had never received health-related text messages- 88% were comfortable receiving them. Nearly all parents reported interest in receiving reminder/recall text messages- many endorsing them over phone calls and/or letters. Preferences included personalization- interactivity- and multiple messages. While 25% of parents had no concerns- 38% were concerned about incorrect numbers/ only 6% worried about cost. Providers and staff were also supportive of vaccine-related text messages. Their biggest concerns were correct cell phone numbers- appointment availability- and increased call volume. CONCLUSION: Text message reminder/recall for early childhood vaccination was widely supported. Important barriers were identified that should be addressed to maximize their effectiveness.