Capsule Commentary on Patel el al., Using Active Choice Within the Electronic Health Record to Increase Influenza Vaccination Rates

Excerpt

Patel et al.1 examine the effect of an “active choice” prompt in an electronic health record (EHR) system on influenza vaccination rates during outpatient clinic appointments. For two influenza seasons (2010–2011 and 2011–2012), the vaccine administration rate was recorded for three similar clinics. During the 2012–2013 season, two of the three clinics were held as controls, while the EHR for the third clinic was modified to require both the physician and assistant to choose between accepting or canceling an automatic vaccine order. The authors report a significant increase in the rates of vaccination for the active choice group.1 Based on these results, the authors conclude that an active choice prompt has the potential to increase the rates of vaccination as well as the utilization of other preventative interventions. …