CHEC-UP: A Digital Intervention to Reduce Disparities in Well-Child and Immunization Completion in Community Health

Objective Well-child visits and immunizations among children in the U.S. declined at the pandemic's onset and vulnerable populations have been disproportionately affected. This pilot project tested an innovative mechanism to use chatbots to engage caregivers in evidence-based preventive care for children. Design We used artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled chatbots to personalize messages and facilitate appointment scheduling over a five-month period. Chatbots introduced a novel way to connect vulnerable populations to care and challenged traditional convention of provider-patient engagement. Setting The pilot study was conducted at a Community Health Center in Chicago, Illinois that serves roughly 10,500 children, and 82% of patients are racial and/or ethnic minorities. Participants We targeted outreach to 250 English and Spanish-speaking families with children 0-17 years of age for proactive outreach using chatbots promoting well-child visit completion and up-to-date immunization status;moreover, a special emphasis was placed on the 0-2 age group as the first two years represent a critical time for primary prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. Interventions The intervention focused on pre-visit engagement by launching an AI-enabled chatbot to deliver personalized messages and facilitate appointment scheduling via mobile devices. CHEC-UP also provided evidence-based anticipatory guidance prior to an appointment. Coaching in preparation for the visit with trusted information has the potential to educate, improve confidence and promote shared decisions between the parent and provider. Patient experience was measured via surveys deployed via the chatbot. Main Outcome Measures & Results Chatbots facilitated a relative increase in well-child visits and immunizations by 27% in the intervention group. Well-child visits and immunizations in the intervention group increased 13% compared to the control group. Survey results and patient interviews indicated a high level of patient satisfaction using the chatbot. In addition to a favorable perception of the chatbots, patients also identified future use cases for chatbots. Conclusions Engaging patients with chatbots improved vaccination and well-child uptake. Patients were highly satisfied with chatbot engagement. By engaging patients and caregivers, chatbots present the potential to proactively engage patients in care and optimize vaccination uptake and realize one of societies' greatest public health achievements: decreasing the spread of communicable diseases.

Multi-level quality improvement strategies to optimize HPV vaccination starting at the 9-year well child visit: Success stories from two private pediatric clinics.

HPV vaccination rates remain far below goal, leaving many adolescents unprotected against future HPV-related cancers. Starting HPV vaccine at age 9 may improve timely preteen vaccination. The "HPV Vax at 9" Quality Improvement intervention paired HPV vaccination with 9- and 10-year well child visits and was piloted at two pediatric clinics (n = 9 sites) in Washington between 2018 and 2022. Supporting interventions included standardized immunization schedule posters in exam rooms, electronic medical record supports, provider and staff training, strong provider recommendations, printed educational resources, and peer-to-peer champion coaching. Provider and clinic acceptance was high with HPV vaccine administration occurring at 68-86% of the 9- and 10-year well child visits. During the first year, HPV initiation rates at age 9-10 increased by 30% or more at each clinic. Sustained improvements in initiation and series completion were seen with completion at age 11-12 rising as much as 40% from 22 to 62%. Downward pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic on HPV vaccination rates was mitigated. Pairing HPV vaccine with 9- and 10-year well child visits, posting the standardized immunization schedule, and instituting EMR supports for HPV at 9 may be effective and sustainable strategies to simplify clinic workflows and increase timely HPV vaccination.

Well Child Wednesdays: An interprofessional pilot-program to increase pediatric immunizations Post-COVID.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic halted routine medical care, including well-child visits (WCVs) and immunizations. Purpose: Describe the development and impact of a multidisciplinary initiative on the number of WCVs and immunizations delivered in aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic over a four week period between April 14, 2021 and May 5, 2021. Methods: Student pharmacists (SP), family medicine residents (FMRs), and nurses within a family medicine practice in a medically underserved community, developed a program to increase the number of pediatric patients up-to-date on WCVs and immunizations. "Well-child Wednesdays" used adjusted staffing to conduct visits with patients behind on vaccines. The 4-week pilot program utilized SPs to identify immunization gaps in patients less than 12 years old following chart review and to coordinate scheduling. During the visit, FMRs completed the components of the well-child visit; immunization gaps were communicated to the nurse who, after review, administered needed immunizations. Discussion: Of 193 patient charts reviewed for immunization needs, 68 were not up-to-date on routine vaccines and 29 patients (mean age 5 years old, 58.6% male) were able to be reached and agreed to schedule a visit. Of these, 20 kept their appointment and a total of 69 vaccines were administered, with DTaP as the most common with 13 doses administered followed by Hepatitis A with 10 doses given. Conclusions: An interprofessional immunization program was an effective strategy to address the decline in immunizations and WCVs as a result of COVID-19.