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Web-based decision aid for parents improved MMR vaccine uptake
A website offering information to parents about the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was the most cost-effective means of increasing vaccine uptake, according to researchers from the United Kingdom.
“Providing parents with access to a website containing additional information on the risks of MMR vaccination is cost-effective to the National Health Service (NHS) when compared to other options such as sending them a leaflet or only meeting with their general practitioner,” Sandy Tubeuf, PhD, health economist in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, told Infectious Disease News. “It increases MMR vaccination of children and can easily be implemented in routine practice within the NHS via standard letters, emails or even text messages.”
Sandy Tubeuf
Tubeuf and colleagues conducted a cluster randomized trial that included 220 first-time parents of children aged 3 to 12 months who were offered their first MMR vaccine at 50 general practices across northern England. These general practices were randomly assigned to offer either a Web-based decision aid about childhood MMR vaccination besides usual practice (n=50), leaflets about MMR vaccination delivered by mail plus usual practice (n=93) or usual practice only (n=77).
To assess whether the Web-based intervention was an efficient use of resources, the researchers asked parents to complete a post-intervention questionnaire about costs related to MMR vaccination, including any expenditures on private health care, purchases of information about MMR vaccination, travel costs and loss of income due to time taken off from work to attend their children’s appointments. Data were available for 179 parents.
Results indicated that MMR uptake was highest for children of parents who received the Web-based decision aid (100%) compared with those who received leaflets (92%) and usual practice only (98%). The intervention was also associated with lower costs — on average, it was 9.20 British pounds ($15.57) cheaper per vaccination to the NHS than a usual consultation with a general practitioner, and 7.17 British pounds cheaper per vaccination than the use of leaflets to deliver information about MMR vaccination.
Based on these results, Tubeuf and colleagues are recommending that a similar website be incorporated into NHS guidelines on MMR vaccination.
“If NHS moves toward more mobile technologies, such as emails or text messages, instead of standard invitation letters, this Web-based MMR decision aid could easily be incorporated into that written communication,” they wrote. “As the decision aid appears to be beneficial with respect to vaccination uptake, further investigation of how it might be incorporated into routine use is recommended.” — John Schoen
The website used in the study intervention can be found here.
Disclosure: Tubeuf reports no relevant financial disclosures.