Effect of Electronic and Mail Outreach From Primary Care Physicians for COVID-19 Vaccination of Black and Latino Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: COVID-19 morbidity is highest in Black and Latino older adults. These racial and ethnic groups initially had lower vaccination uptake than others, and rates in Black adults continue to lag. Objectives: To evaluate the effect of outreach via electronic secure messages and mailings from primary care physicians (PCPs) on COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Black and Latino older adults and to compare the effects of culturally tailored and standard PCP messages. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from March 29 to May 20, 2021, with follow-up surveys through July 31, 2021. Latino and Black individuals aged 65 years and older from 4 Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) service areas were included. Data were analyzed from May 27, 2021, to September 28, 2021. Interventions: Individuals who had not received COVID-19 vaccination after previous outreach were randomized to electronic secure message and/or mail outreach from their PCP, similar outreach with additional culturally tailored content, or usual care. Outreach groups were sent a secure message or letter in their PCP's name, followed by a postcard to those still unvaccinated after 4 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was time to receipt of COVID-19 vaccination during the 8 weeks after initial study outreach. KPNC data were supplemented with state data from external sources. Intervention effects were evaluated via proportional hazards regression. Results: Of 8287 included individuals (mean [SD] age, 72.6 [7.0] years; 4665 [56.3%] women), 2434 (29.4%) were Black, 3782 (45.6%) were Latino and preferred English-language communications, and 2071 (25.0%) were Latino and preferred Spanish-language communications; 2847 participants (34.4%) had a neighborhood deprivation index at the 75th percentile or higher. A total of 2767 participants were randomized to culturally tailored PCP outreach, 2747 participants were randomized to standard PCP outreach, and 2773 participants were randomized to usual care. Culturally tailored PCP outreach led to higher COVID-19 vaccination rates during follow-up compared with usual care (664 participants [24.0%] vs 603 participants [21.7%]; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR), 1.22; 95% CI, 1.09-1.37), as did standard PCP outreach (635 participants [23.1%]; aHR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.31). Individuals who were Black (aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.06-1.33), had high neighborhood deprivation (aHR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.03-1.33), and had medium to high comorbidity scores (aHR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09-1.31) were more likely to be vaccinated during follow-up. Conclusions and Relevance: This randomized clinical trial found that PCP outreach using electronic and mailed messages increased COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black and Latino older adults. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05096026.

Translating/Creating a Culturally Responsive Spanish-Language Mobile App for Visit Preparation: Case Study of "Trans-Creation".

BACKGROUND: Health information technology (IT) tools are increasingly used to improve patient care. However, implementation of English-only health IT tools could potentially worsen health disparities for non-English speakers. OBJECTIVE: We aim to describe the "trans-creation" process of developing linguistically and culturally appropriate health IT tools through a detailed case analysis of a waiting room health mobile app designed to help Spanish-speaking Latino people prepare for primary care visits. METHODS: We adapted the English-language Visit Planner mobile app for Spanish-speaking Latino patients. We applied culturally defined themes derived from prior published research and input by both skilled linguists and potential end users. Initial changes were iteratively reviewed and edited by a team of writers, health care educators, subject matter experts, patients, and providers. RESULTS: The trans-creation process resulted in the following key culturally mediated changes to the tool: replacing the "provider" actors with "patient" actors; changing the choice of "Stress at Home or Work" (represented by an icon of a house) to "Mi Familia" (translation: my family; icon is an outline of family members holding hands); replacing the English terms "anxiety" and "depression" with "Me siento desanimado"(translation: I am feeling down) to avoid mental health stigma; and using more concise text translation to ensure the wording fit the available on-screen space. CONCLUSIONS: The trans-creation process of cultural and linguistic adaptation led to several design changes that would not have been implemented if we had simply translated the words from English to Spanish.