EHR-driven clinical reminders for the HPV vaccine increased the number of administered vaccines, according to a study published online in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Jaeyong Bae, PhD, led a team of researchers in determining the effectiveness of an EHR clinical reminder for administering the HPV vaccine. The researchers reviewed visits by adolescents to office-based physicians from 2007-2012 and measured whether or not they received the HPV vaccine compared to whether the physicians' practices' EHR used a clinical alert for the vaccine.
Overall, physicians who reported using an alert were more likely to administer the HPV vaccine. When the researchers reviewed subpopulations of younger patients, they noted the alerts did not change the vaccination rate, but the alerts did encourage physicians to offer the vaccination to more male patients.
"Clinical reminders are positively correlated with better care processes related to HPV vaccination. Promoting the routine use of clinical reminders for vaccination will yield significant benefits for the general population," the researchers conclude. "EHR-driven clinical reminders have the potential to increase preventive care among at-risk, but often neglected, subpopulations."
More articles on EHRs:
Cerner upgrade causes delays at Banner's Tucson hospitals, clinics
VA seeking $782M to begin EHR overhaul, guarantees 100% interoperability with DOD
What are the pros and cons of letting patients edit their medical notes?