Using automated text messages to monitor adverse events following immunisation in general practice

Abstract

More than 70% of patients responded by SMS to an SMS query about whether they had any vaccine reactions, with the data received in near real-time. Active surveillance of AEFI using SMS has the capacity to complement existing passive reporting systems, potentially permitting more rapid identification of emerging safety signals.

Comparison of text-messaging to voice telephone interviews for active surveillance of adverse events following immunisation

“…Women were just as 186 likely to report fever, headache, fatigue, vomiting, rash, or rigors by SMS or telephone, and 187 no women reported convulsions. Women were just as likely to report having sought medical 188 Previous observational studies support our findings, in that response to SMS often exceeds 210 80% [10,11] and adverse event information can vary when collected by SMS and telephone 211 interview, which is consistent with previous observational studies [11]. Internationally, there 212 is growing evidence supporting the feasibility of SMS as a method of data collection.…”

“…Timely collection of vaccine safety data is necessary in 67 order to identify early warning signals and ensure vaccine quality. 68 69 Some vaccine safety surveillance programs incorporate short message service (SMS) 70 communication to monitor adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) details in near real-71 time [10][11][12][13]. While such methods offer rapid data collection and dissemination of results, to 72 date, no study has investigated the potential differences between SMS and telephone 73 interview data collection methods.…”

21st Century Patient Registries, Ebook Addendum to Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes: A User's Guide, 3rd Edition

“…31 The conclusions drawn from this study were that active surveillance of adverse events following immunizations using SMS has the capacity to complement existing passive reporting systems and has the potential to identify emerging safety signals more rapidly. See Case Study 1 for additional information on how SMS is being used in Australia to monitor adverse events post immunization.…”

“…Both are Patient-Powered Research Networks (PPRNs), which are part of PCORnet, a national, patient-centered research resource funded by PCORI. 31 Goals for the PPRNs are similar to those for many disease registries, with each network being focused on a specific condition and/or community of interest with an objective of creating a standard database that can be used to address future patient-driven research questions. A hallmark of the PPRNs is to include patients as partners in the governance structure of the network and to collect patient-reported outcomes relevant to the community they serve to support patient-prioritized PCOR questions.…”

“…The chapter notes, "Employing direct-to-patient recruitment can be an effective way of reaching a patient population that otherwise would not be enrolled in the registry, and can yield surprising and important insights into patient experience… A patient advocate was invited to consult in the registry's development and provides ongoing advice from a patient perspective". 31 There are examples where failing to consider the patient perspective in designing a clinical trial or in developing a product has caused delays, failed products, or studies to be discontinued. The Research on Electronic Monitoring of Overactive Bladder Treatment (OAB) Experience (REMOTE) is a virtual trial where patient input may have been helpful in determining the study design, recruitment strategy, and data collection processes.…”