SynthesisBMJ global health2021
Short message service (SMS) reminders for childhood immunisation in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMJ global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 9 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
37 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Telehealth in HIV Management for People Living with HIV and Key Populations: A Systematic Review of Models, Adherence, Viral Suppression, and Behavioral Outcomes.AIDS and behavior · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of stage-of-change (SOC)-tailored interventions in increasing uptake of any type of vaccination: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- SMS-based interventions for improving child and adolescent vaccine coverage and timeliness: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Impact of mHealth interventions on maternal, newborn, and child health from conception to 24 months postpartum in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.BMC medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Madagascar's EPI vaccine programs: A systematic review uncovering the role of a child's sex and other barriers to vaccination.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Acceptability of mobile-phone reminders for routine childhood vaccination appointments in Nigeria - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2021Pooled it
- Effectiveness of SMS reminders to increase demand for HPV immunisation: a randomised controlled trial in Georgia.BMJ open · 2025Trial
- A behaviourally informed chatbot increases vaccination rates in Argentina more than a one-way reminder.Nature human behaviour · 2024Trial
- Using mobile phone Re-call notification as a primary care practice to improve vaccination uptake for children under five in baghdad, Iraq, 2022.Journal of public health research · 2026Article
- Community-based intervention to reach the last mile of childhood vaccination coverage in Burera district, Rwanda: a mixed method study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Improving human papillomavirus vaccine uptake in low- and middle-income countries: a narrative review of implementation and education strategies.BMC global and public health · 2026Review
- Feasibility and acceptability of an electronic immunization registry in urban Bangladesh.PloS one · 2026Article
- Article
- Is mobile renewal enough? A qualitative study exploring stakeholders' perspectives on mobile phone-based add-ons for national health insurance uptake in Ghana.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Relationship Between Postpartum Depression and Timely Child Vaccination: A Systematic Review.Vaccines · 2025Review
- Exploring two-way text messages for post-discharge follow-up and quality improvement in rural Uganda.PloS one · 2025Article
- Leveraging telemedicine to improve MNCH uptake in Kenya: a community-based hybrid model.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionChildhood vaccine delivery services in the low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are struggling to reach every child with lifesaving vaccines. Short message service (SMS) reminders have demonstrated positive impact on a number of attrition-prone healthcare delivery services. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of SMS reminders in improving immunisation coverage and timeliness in LMICs.
methodsPubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, CNKI, PsycINFO and Web of Science including grey literatures and Google Scholar were systematically searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs that evaluated the effect of SMS reminders on childhood immunisation and timeliness in LMICs. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 assessment tool for RCTs and Cochrane Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions tool for non-RCTs. Meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects models to generate pooled estimates of risk ratio (RR).
results18 studies, 13 RCTs and 5 non-RCTs involving 32 712 infants (17 135 in intervention groups and 15 577 in control groups) from 11 LMICs met inclusion criteria. Pooled estimates showed that SMS reminders significantly improved childhood immunisation coverage (RR=1.16; 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.21; I
conclusionCurrent evidence from LMICs, although with significant heterogeneity, suggests that SMS reminders can contribute to achieving high and timely childhood immunisation coverage. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021225843.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion 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 OpenQuestion graph.