Skip Navigation

Strengthen the Evidence for Maternal and Child Health Programs

Sign up for MCHalert eNewsletter

Evidence Tools
MCHbest. Well-Woman Visit.

MCHbest Logo

Strategy. Patient Reminders

Approach. Support providers in disseminating reminders (e.g., postcard, text, e-mail, phone calls, or a step-by-step combination) to women about scheduling an annual preventive visit

Return to main MCHbest page >>

Overview. Consistent evidence shows that all types of reminder systems are effective at improving appointment attendance across a range of health care settings and patient populations. Reminder systems may also increase cancellation and rescheduling of unwanted appointments.[1]

Evidence. Scientifically Rigorous Evidence. Strategies with this rating are most likely to be effective...

Access the peer-reviewed evidence through the MCH Digital Library or related evidence source.

Potential Data Sources. Data to support this strategy can be accessed through:

  • Electronic Health Record (EHR) data
  • Patient surveys
  • Provider surveys

Outcome Components. This strategy has shown to have impact on the following outcomes (Read more about these categories):

  • Access to/Receipt of Care. This strategy increases the ability for individuals to obtain healthcare services when needed, including preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services.
  • Timeliness of Care. This strategy promotes delivery of healthcare services in a timely manner to optimize benefits and prevent complications.
  • Utilization. This strategy improves the extent to which individuals and communities use available healthcare services.

Detailed Outcomes. For specific outcomes related to each study supporting this strategy, access the peer-reviewed evidence and read the Intervention Results for each study.

Intervention Type. Outreach (Read more about intervention types and levels as defined by the Public Health Intervention Wheel).

Intervention Level. Individual/Family-Focused

Examples from the Field. Access descriptions of ESMs that use this strategy or aligned components.

Sample ESMs. Here are sample ESMs to use as models for your own measures using the RBA framework (see The Role of Title V in Adapting Strategies).

Quadrant 1:
Measuring Quantity of Effort (“What/how much did we do?”)

  • Number of reminders disseminated through partnerships with community-based organizations. (Measures outreach to communities with greatest need)
  • Number of patient reminders delivered using evidence-based, multi-modal approaches (e.g., combination of mail, phone, text, email). (Measures efforts with best practices for maximizing reach and impact)

Quadrant 2:
Measuring Quality of Effort (“How well did we do it?”)

  • Percent of patient reminders incorporating best practices for health literacy. (Measures adherence to quality standards in reminder content and design)
  • Percent of patient reminders delivered within a standard timeframe. (Measures success in standardizing the process)

Quadrant 3:
Measuring Quantity of Effect (“Is anyone better off?”)

  • Number of healthcare providers trained on integrating patient reminder systems into their practice workflows. (Measures capacity building efforts to support the strategy)
  • Number of community coalitions for strategic plans that have incorporated patient reminders as a key strategy. (Measures integration of the strategy into existing community partner initiatives)
  • Number of women receiving well-woman visits after getting reminders, disaggregated by key demographic factors. (Measures behavior change)
  • Number of women reporting that the reminder played a significant role in their remembering to attend their visit. (Measures behavior change)

Quadrant 4:
Measuring Quality of Effect (“How are they better off?”)

  • Percent of women in the population of focus receiving appropriately timed well-woman visit reminders according to clinical guidelines. (Measures adherence to evidence-based care standards)
  • Percent of total patient reminder program budget allocated to engaging with communities of focus. (Measures investment of resources)
  • Percent improvement in key women's health indicators (e.g., breast and cervical cancer screening rates) in communities receiving tailored reminders, compared to baseline. (Measures impact on population health outcomes)
  • Percent decrease in the prevalence of advanced-stage diagnoses for conditions detectable through preventive screenings, in relation to increased well-woman visits. (Measures the strategy's contribution to earlier detection and better prognosis)

Note. When looking at your ESMs, SPMs, or other strategies:

  1. Move from measuring quantity to quality.
  2. Move from measuring effort to effect.
  3. Quadrant 1 strategies should be used sparingly, when no other data exists.
  4. The most effective measurement combines strategies in all levels, with most in Quadrants 2 and 4.

Learn More. Read how to create stronger ESMs and how to measure ESM impact more meaningfully through Results-Based Accountability.

References

[1] Appointment reminder systems are effective but not optimal: results of a systematic review and evidence synthesis employing realist principles. Sionnadh Mairi McLean, Andrew Booth, Melanie Gee, Sarah Salway, Mark Cobb, Sadiq Bhanbhro, Susan A Nancarrow. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2016; 10: 479–499. Published online 2016 Apr 4. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S93046 PMCID: PMC4831598.
[2] Kiran, T., Davie, S., Moineddin, R., & Lofters, A. (2018). Mailed Letter Versus Phone Call to Increase Uptake of Cancer Screening: A Pragmatic, Randomized Trial. Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine : JABFM, 31(6), 857–868. https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2018.06.170369
[3] Firmino-Machado, J., Varela, S., Mendes, R., Moreira, A., Lunet, N., & SCAN-Cervical Cancer collaborators (2018). Stepwise strategy to improve cervical cancer screening adherence (SCAN-Cervical Cancer) - Automated text messages, phone calls and reminders: Population based randomized controlled trial. Preventive medicine, 114, 123–133.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U02MC31613, MCH Advanced Education Policy, $3.5 M. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.