title: Mobile phone text messaging for improving the uptake of vaccinations: a systematic review protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low vaccine coverage is a major public health concern, the consequences of which contribute to around 1.5 million child deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. Thus, innovative strategies to rapidly increase coverage and recall rates for vaccinations are urgently required. Mobile text messaging (or short messaging service, SMS) has the potential to help increase vaccination coverage and therefore we propose to conduct a review of the current best evidence for the use of SMS as an intervention to promote vaccination coverage.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article describes the protocol for a systematic review of the effectiveness of SMS in improving the uptake of vaccination. Primary and secondary outcomes of interest are prespecified. We will preferably include randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, non-randomised studies (NRS) will be considered if there is an inadequate number of RCTs. We will search several bibliographic databases (eg,PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Science Citation Index, Africa-Wide Information and WHOLIS electronic databases and search sources for grey literature. Following data extraction and assessment of risk of bias, we will meta-analyse studies and conduct subgroup analyses, according to intervention subtypes. We will assess clinical heterogeneity and statistical heterogeneity. For outcomes without quantitative data, a descriptive analysis will be used. This review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of systematic reviews, registration number 2014:CRD42014007531 ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics is not required for this study, given that this is a protocol for a systematic review, which uses published data. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. We anticipate that the results could be used by researchers and policymakers to help inform them of the efficacy of mobile phone text messaging interventions to promote increased vaccination coverage.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  PROSPERO registration number 2014:CRD42014007531.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evidence-based Health Care & Division of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Wiysonge
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Tshepiso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ramafuthole
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allie
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ebrahim
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mark Emmanuel
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Engel
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D060145:Text Messaging; D014611:Vaccination
keywords: Mobile text messaging; SMS; Vaccine coverage; short messaging service; vaccination
references.citation: Am J Public Health. 2012 Feb;102(2):e15-21
references.pmid: 22390457
references.citation: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Mar 14;(3):CD009756
references.pmid: 22419345
references.citation: Adv Exp Med Biol. 2011;697:1-8
references.pmid: 21120715
references.citation: BMC Infect Dis. 2013 Dec 02;13:566
references.pmid: 24295439
references.citation: PLoS Med. 2013;10(3):e1001405
references.pmid: 23526886
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 2004 Mar 1;189(5):930-7
references.pmid: 14976611
references.citation: Biometrics. 1977 Mar;33(1):159-74
references.pmid: 843571
references.citation: Pan Afr Med J. 2011;10:37
references.pmid: 22187619
references.citation: Med Care. 1998 Aug;36(8):1138-61
references.pmid: 9708588
references.citation: J Clin Epidemiol. 2011 Apr;64(4):401-6
references.pmid: 21208779
references.citation: Stat Med. 2002 Jun 15;21(11):1539-58
references.pmid: 12111919
references.citation: AIDS. 2011 Mar 27;25(6):825-34
references.pmid: 21252632
references.citation: Bull World Health Organ. 2012 May 1;90(5):390-2
references.pmid: 22589574
references.citation: BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2010 Nov 03;10:69
references.pmid: 21047412
references.citation: J Telemed Telecare. 2012 Oct;18(7):404-8
references.pmid: 23034935