To improve immunisation rates in Western Sydney, GPs are invited to be a part of the AuTOMATIC Study to determine whether personalised SMS reminders are effective for improving the uptake and timeliness of routine vaccination among children. This is a trial, and the cost of the SMS is free for participating practices.
The latest data on childhood immunisation coverage for all children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (during the period 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020) from the Department of Health website, shows that only 94% of children between the ages of 12 to 15 months are up-to-date with their childhood vaccinations, in Western Sydney.
The study is led by researchers at the Telethon Kids Institute, SmartVax in Perth, Western Australia and supported by WentWest as the Western Sydney Primary Health Network. The platform has been built to integrate with the SmartVax automated SMS reminder module. This SmartVax reminder module can also be incorporated with Best Practice and MedicalDirector systems to send automated vaccine reminders to parents.
Sending text message reminders to parents may be an effective and low-cost option to improve vaccine uptake and timeliness, reducing the risk of vaccine-preventable infections in young children.
Participating practices will receive access to a free dedicated platform that can:
- Send automated reminders for routine childhood vaccinations
- Evaluate how effective the platform is performing (e.g. whether it improves uptake and/or timeliness of vaccination)
- Minimise manual effort for clinic reception and staff.
If your practice is interested in participating in this study, please complete the Expression of Interest form and send it to our Helpdesk at support@wentwest.com.au alternatively, speak to your Practice Development Officer on how you can get involved.
GPs, Nurses and Practice Staff in Western Sydney are also invited to attend our Immunisations – Who needs them? Interactive demo using MedicalDirector webinar on Wednesday 24 February at 7pm.