A Telemedicine system based on Internet and short message service as a new approach in the follow-up of patients with gestational diabetes

Introduction: Adherence to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) regimens remains a difficult issue. Thus, it was hoped that the use of phone reminders would improve adherence. Methodology: The Cochrane database was searched using selected keywords for this meta-analysis. We included randomised, controlled trials (RCTs) that utilised interventions with phone reminder and reported adherence outcomes, as the proportion of prescribed pills taken, the scores on an adherence questionnaire, or the follow-up rate. Two independent authors screened titles of article for inclusion, extracted the relevant data, and assessed articles for risk of bias. Results: Seven RCTs published between 2010 and 2017 were selected for inclusion in this review. The sample size ranged from 76 to 631 participants. Most RCTs used short message service (SMS) and phone call reminders as interventions. The rate of adherence was 1.17-fold greater among those who received phone reminders than those who did not, which was statistically significant (Z = 2.86, p = 0.004). Those who received phone reminders showed a 17% higher likelihood for adherence compared with those who did not receive any phone reminder interventions. Conclusion: Phone reminders remain significantly effective means for improving adherence.

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Feasibility of Using Short Message Service and In-Depth Interviews to Collect Data on Contraceptive Use Among Young, Unmarried, Sexually Active Men in Moshi, Tanzania, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Mixed Methods Study With a Longitudinal Follow-Up

JMIR Formative Research ◽

10.2196/12657 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. e12657

Author(s):

Francis Maganga Pima ◽

Martha Oshosen ◽

Kennedy Michael Ngowi ◽

Bruck Messele Habte ◽

Eusebious Maro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Contraceptive Use ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Short Message ◽

Sexually Active ◽

Message Service ◽

Depth Interviews

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Use of short message service in at-home COVID-19 patient management

BMC Medicine ◽

10.1186/s12916-020-01863-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Paul Loubet ◽

Christian Czeschan ◽

Matthieu Sintes ◽

Albert Sotto ◽

Didier Laureillard

Keyword(s):

Short Message Service ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Warning System ◽

Short Message ◽

Health Innovations ◽

Communication Program ◽

Message Service ◽

Clinical Worsening ◽

At Home

Abstract Background Mobile health innovations are well adapted for ambulatory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who risk clinical deterioration at home during the second week of illness. Methods A short message service (SMS) communication program was implemented by French physicians to monitor COVID-19 patients after discharge from outpatient or emergency care. The aim of the SMS tracking is to advise patients about their need for medical reassessment if reporting worsening of COVID-19 symptoms. A follow-up via SMS to all confirmed positive patients in the Nîmes area (France) was established. Every morning, patients received four follow-up questions. Daily responses were converted to green, orange or red trees, analysed in real time by physicians. “Red” patients were called immediately to check their condition and organise transfer to hospital if needed. “Orange” patients were called within two hours to verify whether the specific instructions following the SMS had been followed. Results From March 21 to June 30, 2020, 1007 patients agreed to sign up to the SMS tracking, 62% were women and the mean age was 41.5 years (standard deviation (SD) 16.0). During follow-up, 649 (64%) became “orange” and 69 (7%) “red”. Ten patients were directly admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department during their follow-up due to clinical worsening, all but one as a result of SMS alerts and subsequent telephone assessment by physicians. Conclusion SMS tracking platforms could be useful as an early warning system to refer patients with worsening clinical status to hospital-based care or additional clinician advice.

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Prototipo electrónico simple y de bajo costo para rastreo de vehículos basado en GPS

Revista de Ingenieria Innovativa ◽

10.35429/joie.2019.12.3.9.16 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 9-16

Author(s):

Maricela Morales-Hernández ◽

Franco Gabriel Caballero-Julian ◽

Antonio Erick Wong-Díaz ◽

Gabriela Aguilar-Ortiz

Keyword(s):

Global Positioning System ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Short Message ◽

C Language ◽

Global Positioning ◽

Message Service ◽

Communication Module ◽

Complete Circuit ◽

Vehicle Movement

This article presents an electronic prototype for vehicle tracking based on GPS (Global Positioning System) location as a proposed solution to the problem of vehicle theft that affects the Oaxaca de Juarez municipality and its surrounding municipalities, according to statistics from the Office of the Prosecutor Specialized in High Impact Crimes, vehicle thefts have increased rapidly in recent years. The "V" diagram was used to make the prototype, which proposes a solution within reach of the owners of vehicles, since similar products require the device and the payment of a membership to follow up in real time. The prototype consists of an Arduino board, a GPS module, a communication module for sending SMS (Short Message Service) messages, an accelerometer to detect vehicle movements and other components that are required for the operation of the complete circuit. The program has been developed in C language for Arduino and a free application of GoogleMaps is being used to send the location of the vehicle when detecting any vehicle movement

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Initial loss to follow up among tuberculosis patients: the role of Ward-Based Outreach Teams and short message service (SMS) technology (research proposal)

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-019-4757-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Judith R. M. Mwansa-Kambafwile ◽

Charles Chasela ◽

Nazir Ismail ◽

Colin Menezes

Keyword(s):

Short Message Service ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Standard Of Care ◽

Short Message ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Loss To Follow Up ◽

Message Service ◽

Sms Intervention ◽

Competing Priorities

Abstract Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is a problem in South Africa. Initial loss to follow up (LTFU) among TB patients is high varying between 14.9 and 18%. Some of the reasons for this are: lack of proper communication between patient and staff on next steps after testing, not aware that results are ready; and other competing priorities. Receiving reminder messages that result is ready is an intervention that can be explored to reduce initial LTFU. This can be through either receiving a note from the Ward-Based Outreach Teams (WBOTs) or via short message service (SMS) advising the patient to collect test result at the facility. This proposal aims to assess the effectiveness of WBOTs or SMS technology in reducing TB initial LTFU. Methods This will be a mixed methods approach. In depth interviews with WBOT Managers and TB Program Managers will be conducted. Focus group discussions with WBOT members will also be conducted. Two interventions (enhanced WBOTs/SMS technology) will be tested using a 3 arm randomized controlled trial (standard of care, SMS technology or enhanced WBOTs). The WBOTs will deliver paper note reminders while SMS intervention will entail sending reminder SMS messages to patients as soon as TB results are ready.

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Implementation of Controlling Home Appliances Via Secure Short Message Service Technology

Tikrit Journal of Engineering Sciences ◽

10.25130/tjes.28.1.03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 21-30

Author(s):

Roshna Amin ◽

Miran Baban

Keyword(s):

Short Message Service ◽

Short Message ◽

Electrical System ◽

Electrical Shock ◽

New Approach ◽

Electrical Devices ◽

Message Service ◽

Home Users ◽

Domestic Appliances ◽

Safe Approach

These days, homes include a variety of electrical devices that are important to families for accomplishing daily tasks. These devices are powered by electricity and in some cases, require a lot of power consumption. Home users must control these devices manually by switching them ON/OFF; this exposes them to potential electric shock and can give rise to other dangerous situations. This paper presents a new approach for creating an electrical system that makes it easy to control household domestic appliances via short message service from a smartphone device. In this manner, users can be provided with a relaxed and safe approach to using electrical devices. The result of this work, users can access to the home devices easily and interact with them without any problem of electrical shock and personal effort

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Feasibility of Using Short Message Service and In-Depth Interviews to Collect Data on Contraceptive Use Among Young, Unmarried, Sexually Active Men in Moshi, Tanzania, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Mixed Methods Study With a Longitudinal Follow-Up (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12657 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Francis Maganga Pima ◽

Martha Oshosen ◽

Kennedy Michael Ngowi ◽

Bruck Messele Habte ◽

Eusebious Maro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Contraceptive Use ◽

Addis Ababa ◽

Young Men ◽

Short Message ◽

Sexually Active ◽

Exit Interviews ◽

Message Service

BACKGROUND Data on contraceptive needs and use among young unmarried men are limited. Conventional ways of data collection may lead to limited and unreliable information on contraceptive use due to sensitivity of the topic, as many young men feel ashamed to discuss their behavior of using contraceptives. As short message service (SMS) is anonymous and a commonly used means of communication, we believe that if deployed, it will create a promising user-friendly method of data collection. OBJECTIVE The objective was to investigate the feasibility of using SMS to collect data on sexually active, young, unmarried men’s sexual behavior and contraceptive preferences, practices, and needs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Moshi, Tanzania. METHODS We enrolled men aged 18-30 years who were students (in Ethiopia and Tanzania), taxi or local bus drivers/assistants (Ethiopia and Tanzania), Kilimanjaro porters (Tanzania), or construction workers (Ethiopia). Young men were interviewed using a topic list on contraceptive use. They were followed up for 6 months by sending fortnightly SMS texts with questions about contraceptive use. If the young men indicated that they needed contraceptives during the reporting period or were not satisfied with the method they used, they were invited for a follow-up interview. At the end of the study, we conducted exit interviews telephonically using a semistructured questionnaire to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and accuracy of using SMS to validate the study findings in both countries. RESULTS We enrolled 71 young unmarried men—35 in Tanzania and 36 in Ethiopia. In Moshi, 1908 messages were delivered to participants and 1119 SMS responses were obtained. In Ethiopia, however, only 525 messages were sent to participants and 248 replies were received. The question on dating a girl in the past weeks was asked 438 times in Tanzania and received 252 (58%) replies, of which 148 (59%) were “YES.” In Ethiopia, this question was asked 314 times and received 64 (20%) replies, of which 52 (81%) were “YES” (P=.02 for difference in replies between Tanzania and Ethiopia). In Tanzania, the question on contraceptive use was sent successfully 112 times and received 108 (96%) replies, of which 105 (94%) were “YES.” In Ethiopia, the question on contraceptive use was asked 17 times and received only 2 (11%) replies. Exit interviews in Tanzania showed that SMS was accepted as a means of data collection by 22 (88%) of the 25 interviewed participants. CONCLUSIONS Despite network and individual challenges, the SMS system was found to be feasible in Moshi, but not in Addis Ababa. We recommend more research to scale up the method in different groups and regions.

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Short message service prompted mouth self-examination in oral cancer patients as an alternative to frequent hospital-based surveillance

South Asian Journal of Cancer ◽

10.4103/sajc.sajc_258_16 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 06 (04) ◽

pp. 161-164

Author(s):

Sagar Vaishampayan ◽

Akshat Malik ◽

Prashant Pawar ◽

Kavi Arya ◽

Pankaj Chaturvedi

Keyword(s):

Oral Cancer ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Disease Status ◽

Second Primary ◽

Short Message ◽

Health Provider ◽

Message Service ◽

Oral Cancer Patients ◽

Self Examination

Abstract Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are amongst commonest cancer in the Indian sub-continent. After treatment, these patients require frequent followup to look for recurrences/second primary. Mouth Self Examination (MSE) has a great potential in all levels of prevention of oral cancer. However, the compliance to self-examination has been reported as poor. Mobile phone is a cheap and effective way to reach out to people. Short Message Service (SMS) is extremely popular can be a very effective motivational and interactive tool in health care setting. Methodology: We aimed to identify in adequately treated OSCC patients, the influence of health provider initiated SMS on the compliance to the MSE and to establish the efficacy of MSE by comparing patients' MSE interpretation via replies to the SMS with that of the experts' opinion on clinical examination status during follow up. Conclusion: We conclude that MSE can be very useful in adequately treated OSCC patients for evaluating disease status. All treated OSCC patients must be adequately educated for MSE as an integral part of treatment & follow-up protocol by the health provider facility. Health provider generated SMS reminders do improve motivation and compliance towards MSE but don't seem to reduce dropouts in follow up for large and diverse population like that in India.

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