Smartphone Preventive Health Care: Parental Use of an Immunization Reminder System

IntroductionThis study examined the feasibility of using a smartphone application recall/reminder system for immunizations given in pediatric primary care.MethodThe study used a typical descriptive study design. A convenience sample of parents and caregivers was recruited from a primary care pediatric office in a middle-class suburban area. Participants used an Android smartphone application (“Call the Shots”) that served as a reminder/recall system for vaccinations and offered an embedded tool kit to obtain reliable information about vaccines.ResultsA total of 262 persons accessed the application’s Web site. The application was downloaded and used by 45 of those persons during the study; six persons completed the survey.DiscussionData are insufficient to fully evaluate the usefulness of the “Call the Shots” smartphone application. However, initial results and feedback have been positive, and the application should be launched in Apple’s platform to reach a wider test audience.