Impact of Patient Portal Messaging Reminders with Self-Scheduling Option on Influenza Vaccination Rates: a Prospective, Randomized Trial

BACKGROUND: Patient portal messages have been used in a variety of ways to facilitate improved communication between provider and patient. These platforms have shown promise in many ways for improving various health outcomes and overall communication between patient and provider. OBJECTIVE: Assess the impact of automated portal reminder messages and self-scheduling options on increasing rates of annual influenza vaccination. DESIGN: This is a prospective, randomized, controlled study. PARTICIPANTS: All patients who receive their primary care through an ambulatory primary care clinic at a large, multidisciplinary, academic health center. INTERVENTIONS: One group of patients received a portal message reminder to undergo influenza vaccination. A second group received the same message with instructions to self-schedule the vaccination appointment. A third group received no portal message (control). MAIN MEASURES: Rates of influenza vaccination in each group for previously unvaccinated patients in the 2019 -2020 influenza season. KEY RESULTS: For the group receiving the message with self-scheduling option (n=5408), the in-study vaccination rate was significantly greater than the group receiving no message (n=5621) (15.7% vs. 13.5%; p=0.002). For the group receiving a message alone (without self-scheduling) (n=5699), the in-study vaccination rate was significantly greater than the group receiving no message (15.1% vs. 13.5%; p=0.01). There was no significant difference in vaccination rate between the two intervention groups receiving messages (15.7% vs. 15.1%; p=0.549). CONCLUSIONS: Portal messaging reminders increase annual influenza vaccination rates, but the addition of a self-scheduling option did not further increase rates.