Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians: use of reminder and recall by vaccination providers to increase vaccination rates.

This statement by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) presents and recommends a programmatic strategy-the use of a reminder and/or recall (R/R) system by vaccination providers-to increase vaccination rates. In 1992, a national survey indicated that 8% of pediatricians and 5% of family physicians had implemented a manual vaccination R/R system and 6% and 5%, respectively, used a computer-based system for vaccination R/R messages. In 1993, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee issued the "Standards for Pediatric Immunization Practices," which recommend that all public and private health-care providers use a vaccination R/R system. These standards were endorsed by ACIP, AAP, and AAFP. By 1995 a survey indicated that R/R systems were used by 35% of pediatricians and 23% of family physicians (R. Zimmerman, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, personal communication, 1995).