SynthesisEBioMedicine2025
The impact of information and communication technology on immunisation and immunisation programmes in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in EBioMedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Digital vaccines for immunization equity: an approach to strengthen vaccine delivery and public trust in low- and middle-income countries.JAMIA open · 2026Review
- Feasibility and acceptability of an electronic immunization registry in urban Bangladesh.PloS one · 2026Article
- Impact and effectiveness of RSV maternal immunization on infant hospitalizations in Buenos Aires: a hospital-based, multicentre, retrospective surveillance cohort study.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2025Article
- Foundational digital literacy training for frontline immunization officers: lessons from implementing the electronic stock management tool across selected comprehensive health centers in Sierra Leone.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow-income and Middle-income Countries (LMIC) are continually working to ensure everyone can access life-saving vaccines. Recognising the considerable impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in healthcare, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarise ICT effectiveness in improving vaccine delivery in LMICs.
methodsA systematic search from January 2010 to August 2023 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, BMJ Health & Care Informatics, and grey literature was performed. This search focused on randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, observational, and mixed-methods studies in English, examining ICT's effects on childhood immunisation in LMICs. Risk of bias in RCTs and non-RCTs was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, and mixed-methods studies were evaluated with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A meta-analysis summarised ICT's impact on third pentavalent dose coverage and full immunisation by age one. The study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023446062).
findingsOf 6535 screened studies, 27 involving 354,979 children were included. All apart from one study demonstrated a positive impact on immunisation coverage and timeliness, completeness and accuracy of records, number of adverse events reporting, vaccine stockouts, and cold chain expansion. The meta-analysis demonstrated that reminders effectively improved coverage rate of the third dose of the pentavalent vaccine (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.34-4.03) and the full immunisation at one year of age (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.2-5.67) with significant degrees of heterogeneity, respectively I
interpretationThis systematic review confirms the benefits of ICT in immunisation programmes by enhancing various stages of vaccine delivery. Specifically, reminders have been shown to enhance childhood immunisation coverage rates.
fundingDeutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Corporation for International Cooperation, GIZ) as part of the Digital Innovation in Pandemic Control (DIPC) Initiative, financed by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit (Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ).
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