SynthesisJMIR mHealth and uHealth2020
Use of Apps to Promote Childhood Vaccination: Systematic Review.
Synthesis in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Digital tracking, provider decision support systems, and targeted client communication via mobile devices to improve primary health care.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Challenges of vaccination information system implementation: A systematic literature review.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2023Pooled it
- The Online Health Information Needs of Family Physicians: Systematic Review of Qualitative and Quantitative Studies.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Vaccination-Related Applications and Health Care Professionals' Observed Changes in Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Hesitancy: Cross-Sectional Survey.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- A Mobile App to Enhance Awareness of Vaccination in Adults With Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis: Development and Preliminary Evaluation Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Evaluating Now I Know mHealth intervention promoting HPV vaccine completion among young women attending federally supported clinics.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2025Article
- Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effectiveness of a Smartphone App to Increase Pretransplant Vaccine Rates: Usability Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Review
- Promoting Physical and Mental Health among Children and Adolescents via Gamification-A Conceptual Systematic Review.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Integrated Immunization Information System in Indonesia: Prototype Design Using Quantitative and Qualitative Data.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Predictors of timeliness of vaccination among children of age 12-23 months in Boricha district, Sidama region Ethiopia, in 2019.BMC pediatrics · 2023Article
- A novel wide scale well-baby clinic mobile application: an Egyptian pilot study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Development of a Tailored Mobile Phone-Based Intervention to Facilitate Parent-Child Communication and Build Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Confidence: Formative Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Digital Health Interventions to Improve Adolescent HPV Vaccination: A Systematic Review.Vaccines · 2023Review
- Quality of Mobile Apps for Child Development Support: Search in App Stores and Content Analysis.JMIR pediatrics and parenting · 2022Article
- Article
- Separating Features From Functionality in Vaccination Apps: Computational Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2022Article
- Assessment of vaccination timeliness and associated factors among children in Toke Kutaye district, central Ethiopia: A Mixed study.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVaccination is a critical step in reducing child mortality; however, vaccination rates have declined in many countries in recent years. This decrease has been associated with an increase in the outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases. The potential for leveraging mobile platforms to promote vaccination coverage has been investigated in the development of numerous mobile apps. Although many are available for public use, there is little robust evaluation of these apps.
objectiveThis systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of apps supporting childhood vaccinations in improving vaccination uptake, knowledge, and decision making as well as the usability and user perceptions of these apps.
methodsPubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) databases were systematically searched for studies published between 2008 and 2019 that evaluated childhood vaccination apps. Two authors screened and selected studies according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and analyzed, and the studies were assessed for risk of bias.
resultsA total of 28 studies evaluating 25 apps met the inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis. Overall, 9 studies assessed vaccination uptake, of which 4 reported significant benefits (P<.001 or P=.03) of the implementation of the app. Similarly, 4 studies indicated a significant (P≤.054) impact on knowledge and on vaccination decision making. Patient perceptions, usability, and acceptability were generally positive. The quality of the included studies was found to be moderate to poor, with many aspects of the methodology being unclear.
conclusionsThere is little evidence to support the use of childhood vaccination apps to improve vaccination uptake, knowledge, or decision making. Further research is required to understand the dichotomous effects of vaccination-related information provision and the evaluation of these apps in larger, more robust studies. The methodology of studies must be reported more comprehensively to accurately assess the effectiveness of childhood vaccination apps and the risk of bias of studies. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/16929.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.