Patient mobile telephone ‘text’ reminder: a novel way to reduce non-attendance at the ENT out-patient clinic

AbstractBackground:Non-attendance at out-patient clinics is a seemingly intractable problem, estimated to cost £65 (€97) per incident. This results in under-utilisation of resources and prolonged waiting lists. In an effort to reduce out-patient clinic non-attendance, our ENT department, in conjunction with the information and communication technology department, instigated the use of a mobile telephone short message service (‘text’) reminder, to be sent out to each patient three days prior to their out-patient clinic appointment.Objective:To audit non-attendance rates at ENT out-patient clinics following the introduction of a text reminder system.Study design:Retrospective review.Methods:Non-attendance at our institution's ENT out-patient clinics was audited, following introduction of a text message reminder system in August 2003. Rates of non-attendance were compared for the text message reminder group and a historical control group.Results:Before the introduction of the text message reminder system, the mean rate of non-attendance was 33.6 per cent. Following the introduction of the system, the mean rate of non-attendance reduced to 22 per cent.Conclusion:Sending text message reminders is a simple and cost-effective way to improve non-attendance at ENT out-patient clinics.

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47 Increase Clinic Attendance Among Adolescents and Young Adults: A novel cost-effective method

Paediatrics & Child Health ◽

10.1093/pch/pxaa068.046 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. e20-e20

Author(s):

Thivia Jegathesan ◽

Megan Roth ◽

Melissa Florence ◽

Niraj Mistry ◽

Herbert J Bonifacio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Text Messaging ◽

Text Message ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Control Group ◽

Missed Appointments ◽

Clinic Attendance ◽

Transition Clinic ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean ◽

Text Message Reminder

Abstract Background Transition clinics have been introduced to address the unique needs of adolescent and young adult (AYA) populations, however clinic attendance continues to be an issue. Although poor clinic attendance among the AYA population has been well known, solutions to address this has been limited. Some factors that have been associated with missed appointments include forgetfulness, negative previous clinic experiences and clinic schedules. With widespread use of digital technologies among AYA, the application of digital solutions to increase attendance at healthcare appointments has been explored, but little is known on its effectiveness. Objectives To determine the effect of text messaging appointment reminders on uninformed no show rates in an AYA transition clinic. Uninformed no show rate was defined as an absence from clinic (not related to a medical emergency) without communication with the clinic. Design/Methods A pilot prospective cohort study with a retrospective control group was conducted in an AYA general hematology transition clinic. In order to establish the current no show rate at the clinic, a retrospective review of AYA patients who attended the clinic between April 2013-August 2015 was conducted. Thereafter, all patients who had an appointment scheduled between February 2016 and December 2017 were included in the study and received a text message reminder of their appointment 48 hours prior to their appointment. Monthly uninformed no show rates were collected, and a student’s t-test was conducted to determine if there was a significant difference in uninformed no show rates before and after the introduction of text message reminders. Results Eighty-six participants consented to participate in the study and received a text message reminder of their appointment. From April 2013- August 2015 a total of 51 clinic days with 236 appointments occurred. During this time the mean uninformed no show rate was 39.9%. SMS appointment reminders were sent from February 2016 to December 2017 for 48 clinic days for a total of 206 clinic appointments. The mean uninformed no show rate after the introduction of text message appointment reminders was 22.6%. The introduction of text messaging appointment reminders significantly (p<0.01) decreased uninformed no show rates by 17.3%. Conclusion Text message reminders are an effective low cost method in reminding AYA patients about their appointments. By using innovative, cost effective and practical strategies like text messaging reminders to increase clinic attendance, we not only improve the care of our patients but also reduce the financial and clerical burden to the system resulting from missed appointments.

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Influence of active reminders on oral hygiene compliance in orthodontic patients

The Angle Orthodontist ◽

10.2319/062813-481.1 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 84 (2) ◽

pp. 208-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Matthew Eppright ◽

Bhavna Shroff ◽

Al M. Best ◽

Elvi Barcoma ◽

Steven J. Lindauer

Keyword(s):

Oral Hygiene ◽

Text Message ◽

Control Group ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

White Spot Lesion ◽

Reminder System ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Orthodontic Patients ◽

Hygiene Compliance ◽

Text Message Reminder

ABSTRACTObjective:To determine if text message reminders regarding oral hygiene compliance have an influence on the level of compliance within an orthodontic population.Materials and Methods:In this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial, 42 orthodontic patients were assigned to a text message or control group. Parents of patients assigned to the text message group received a reminder text message one weekday each week. Oral hygiene compliance was measured using bleeding index (BI), modified gingival index (MGI), and plaque index (PI), and visual examination of white spot lesion (WSL) development at baseline (T0), two appointments after baseline (T1), and four appointments after baseline (T2).Results:BI, MGI, and PI scores were significantly lower in the text message group than in the control group at T2.Conclusion:A text message reminder system is effective for improving oral hygiene compliance in orthodontic patients.

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Effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 points on the anxiety level of soldiers in the Iranian military

Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps ◽

10.1136/jramc-2019-001332 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. jramc-2019-001332 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saeid Amini Rarani ◽

N Rajai ◽

S Sharififar

Keyword(s):

Military Service ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Anxiety Level ◽

Anxiety Score ◽

Control Group ◽

Double Blind ◽

Stressful Environment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean ◽

Army Soldiers

IntroductionMilitary service is a stressful environment. Methods to reduce stress may result in the mental health promotion of military forces. There are various methods for relieving anxiety. Acupressure is one of them. Hence, this study was carried out to explore effects of acupressure at the P6 and LI4 acupressure points on the anxiety level of army soldiers.MethodsA randomised double-blind design was undertaken. A total of 120 Iranian army soldiers were randomly assigned to three groups, namely P6, LI4 and control. The P6 and LI4 acupressure points are effective in lowering the anxiety level. In the intervention groups, acupressure was applied at the P6 and LI4 points three times for 10 min at 30 min intervals. In the control group, the thumb pad, which is not an acupressure point, was pressed. The anxiety level of the subjects was measured before the intervention and 30 min after the last intervention. The instruments included a demographics questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the three groups with respect to the anxiety level in the preintervention phase. However, the mean anxiety score in the P6 group decreased significantly from 53.35±9.7 to 49.02±9.3 (p=0.005). The mean anxiety score in the LI4 group also decreased significantly from 53.37±8.39 to 45.47±8.16 (p<0.001). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the preintervention and postintervention phases (p=0.16). In the postintervention phase, the analysis of variance test showed a significant difference between the three groups in terms of the anxiety level (p=0.04).ConclusionsAcupressure can reduce soldiers’ anxiety at the acupressure points, especially at the LI4 point. It is recommended that this simple and cost-effective intervention be used to relieve soldiers’ anxiety in stressful situations.Trial registration number20150715023216N4.

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Acceptability, Barriers and Facilitators of Mobile Text Message Reminder System Implementation in Improving Child Vaccination: A Qualitative Study in Northwest Ethiopia

Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare ◽

10.2147/jmdh.s298167 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Volume 14 ◽

pp. 605-616

Author(s):

Zeleke Abebaw Mekonnen ◽

Kassahun Alemu Gelaye ◽

Martin C Were ◽

Binyam Tilahun

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Text Message ◽

Northwest Ethiopia ◽

Barriers And Facilitators ◽

System Implementation ◽

Reminder System ◽

Text Message Reminder ◽

Child Vaccination

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Development of automated text-message reminder system to improve uptake of childhood vaccination in North-West, Ethiopia

Online Journal of Public Health Informatics ◽

10.5210/ojphi.v11i2.10244 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Zeleke Abebaw Mekonnen ◽

Fedlu Nurhussien Hussien ◽

Binyam Chakilu Tilahun ◽

Kassahun Alemu Gelaye ◽

Adane Letta Mamuye

Keyword(s):

Text Messaging ◽

Health Workers ◽

Text Message ◽

Target Population ◽

Childhood Vaccination ◽

Automated System ◽

Design Development ◽

North West ◽

Reminder System ◽

Text Message Reminder

Introduction: Non-attendance and delay for vaccination schedules remains a big challenge to healthcare workers. Among the frequently mentioned reasons for missed vaccination in children is the lack of communication between child caretakers and health workers. This necessitates developing an appropriate and uninterrupted vaccine delivery strategy with more focus on demand side interventions like forgetfulness.Objectives: This paper aimed to develop and test an automated mobile text message reminder system in the local context.Methods: Before development of the system, interview and document reviews were used for requirement gathering. This system is developed using iterative development process through phases of requirement analysis, design, development, testing and refinement. Front end application was developed using Java technologies while back end applications were developed with Oracle database. Finally, pilot testing was done on 30 participants before actual implementation.Results: The automated system has been developed based on requirements. The text message reminder system has two components: 1. Web based application for client registration and automatic reminder scheduling; 2.SMS application for automatic SMS text messaging. In the final testing, all the messages (100%) were delivered to the piloted mothers. Message speeds for each individual client ranged on average from 5 second to 30 seconds.Conclusion: Text message reminder system has been developed for routine childhood immunization program in Ethiopian context. Text message interventions should be carefully developed, tested and refined before implementation to ensure they are written in the most appropriate way for their target population.

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Fatigue, Stigma, and Mood in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Effectiveness of Guided Imagery

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1059530/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mina Beitollahi ◽

Mansooreh Azizzadeh Forouzi ◽

Batool Tirgari ◽

Yunes Jahani

Keyword(s):

Multiple Sclerosis ◽

Guided Imagery ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Control Group ◽

Double Blind Study ◽

Double Blind ◽

Cost Effective Method ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean

Abstract Background and objectives : The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of guided imagery on fatigue, stigma, and mood in patients with multiple sclerosis. Methods This clinical trial is a double-blind study that was conducted on 60 patients with multiple sclerosis referred to the largest center for special diseases in the southeast of Iran in 2020. The convenience sampling method was used to select the participants who were later divided into two groups of intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) using block randomization method. The intervention group listened to the guided imagery audio file at home for 25 minutes. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected by demographic information questionnaires, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Reece Stigma Scale for Multiple Sclerosis (RSS-MS), and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) before and one month after the intervention. Results According to the results, there was no significant difference between the two groups before the intervention in terms of the score of fatigue (P<0.0=67), stigma (P<0.64), and mood (P<0.17). However, after the intervention, a significant differences was observed in this regard (P<0.0001). In the intervention group, the mean score of fatigue decreased from 59.72±18.32 to 35.8±16.15, and the mean score of stigma decreased from 17.31±15.62 to 5.09±8.06, showing a significant reduction in the levels of fatigue (P<0.0001) and stigma (P<0.0001) compared to before intervention. Also, the mean score of mood decreased from 36.90±12.21 to 28.55±11.87, indicating an improvement in the mood of samples in the intervention group (P<0.0001). Conclusions The results indicated that guided imagery, as a cost-effective method, can decrease the fatigue and stigma, and enhance the mood of patients with MS. Therefore, nursing staff can use this method to improve MS patients’ mood and decrease their fatigue and stigma.

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Oral Hygiene Maintenance Via Teledentistry in Orthodontic Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of The Pakistan Dental Association ◽

10.25301/jpda.301.34 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 34-38

Author(s):

Erum Behroz Khan ◽

◽

Mairah Shah ◽

S.M. Tariq Rafi ◽

Sadia Rizwan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Oral Hygiene ◽

Orthodontic Treatment ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Text Message ◽

Plaque Index ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Orthodontic Patients ◽

Text Message Reminder

OBJECTIVES: To determine the extent of improvement in oral hygiene via text message reminder in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. METHODOLOGY: The participants were from 13 to 30 years of age recruited from Department of Orthodontics, Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan. The sample comprised of 70 patients (59 female and 11 male) about to have fixed orthodontic treatment, 35 in text message group and 35 in control group. Patient's plaque index was evaluated at baseline and after 30 days. RESULTS: Text message group had highly significant (P < .05) plaque index score (PostPI) than control group. CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic patients frequently reminded to brush have better oral hygiene. KEYWORDS: Plaque index, Text message, Oral hygiene, Orthodontics. HOW TO CITE: Khan EB, Shah M, Rafi S.M.T, Rizwan S, Ahmed Z, Fatima S. Oral hygiene maintenance via teledentistry in orthodontic patients: A randomized controlled trial. J Pak Dent Assoc 2021;30(1):34-38.

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Effectiveness of metronidazole gel and mobile telephone short-message service reminders on gingivitis in orthodontic patients:

The Angle Orthodontist ◽

10.2319/052920-490.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hafiz Taha Mahmood ◽

Farheen Fatima ◽

Mubassar Fida ◽

Rashna Hoshang Sukhia ◽

Sarah Irfan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Orthodontic Treatment ◽

Short Message Service ◽

Mobile Telephone ◽

Control Group ◽

Placebo Control ◽

Short Message ◽

Message Service ◽

Sms Reminder ◽

Orthodontic Patients ◽

Mean Differences

ABSTRACT Objectives To compare the effectiveness of metronidazole gel and mobile telephone short-message service (SMS) reminders on gingivitis in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods The trial was double blinded (patient and investigator), and only the clinical trial unit pharmacist was unblinded. Data were collected from patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment for at least 6 months. A total of 66 patients were randomly assigned to either 0.8% metronidazole gel (n = 22), SMS reminder and placebo gel (n = 22), or placebo (control) group only (n = 22). Gingival index (GI), bleeding index (BI), and orthodontic plaque index (OPI) were evaluated on several teeth at baseline (T0) and after 4 weeks (T1). Paired-sample t-tests were used to compare mean differences of indexes at T0 and T1 in the groups, and independent-sample t-tests were used to determine the effects of interventions compared with the controls. Results Data from 64 patients were analyzed; there were 2 dropouts. There were statistically significant (P < .05) reductions in GI, BI, and OPI scores from T0 to T1 for each intervention. However, there were no significant differences between each intervention and the control group. There were no adverse effects. Conclusions The null hypothesis could not be rejected. There is no difference between interventions (application of 0.8% metronidazole gel and SMS reminder for reinforcing oral hygiene) in reducing gingival inflammation in orthodontic patients.

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Abstract MP66: AREST Lifestyle: Adherence Effects of a Comprehensive Reminder System on Exercise Adherence in Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.131.suppl_1.mp66 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Avinash Pandey ◽

Niteesh K Choudhry

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Total Duration ◽

Text Message ◽

Exercise Adherence ◽

Post Myocardial Infarction ◽

Exercise Stress ◽

Control Group ◽

Physical Endurance ◽

Reminder System

Background: The risk of recurrent cardiac events can be reduced by 30-50% through regular, structured exercise; however, there remains a high rate of inactivity in post myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Forgetting to exercise may be a contributor to inactivity. This study assessed the hypothesis that text message reminders may be an effective strategy to reduce forgetfulness and inactivity. Methods: In this one year, single center study, we recruited 50 cardiac rehabilitation patients within 2 weeks of their MI. Participants were randomized to usual care or to receive text message reminders 4 times daily which stated "Please remember to exercise 45 minutes today". The outcomes measured were the frequency and total duration of exercise (assessed by log books) and physical endurance/ aerobic fitness (assessed by exercise stress testing at months 1, 3 and 12). Results: Intervention and control patients had similar baseline characteristics with an average age of 64. In the control group, monthly duration of exercise fell from an average of 683 minutes over 17 days at month 1 to 416 minutes over 11 days at month 12. Patients randomized to text message reminders exercised 772 minutes over 18 days at month 1 and 794 minutes over 18 days in month 12 (p<0.01 for duration of exercise, control versus intervention, month 12). Baseline aerobic fitness and cardiac endurance was similar between control and intervention groups. However, there was a significant improvement in aerobic fitness and cardiac endurance at month 12 with text reminders (7.4 versus 6.1 METS achieved month 12, p<0.01). In all sub-groups analyzed this intervention significantly improved exercise adherence and fitness. Conclusions: In summary, this system improved frequency and duration of exercise, and objective measures of cardiac endurance and aerobic fitness. While this study was not designed to assess clinical outcomes, this text message reminder system represents a simple and scalable method for improving adherence to exercise regimens among post-MI patients.

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