scholarly journals Text Message Reminders Increase Appointment Adherence in a Pediatric Clinic: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Lei Lin ◽  
Nila Mistry ◽  
Jordana Boneh ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Rina Lazebnik
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
African American ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Pediatric Practice ◽  
Appointment Adherence ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Text Message Reminder

Background. High no-show rates can burden clinic productivity and affect patient care. Although multiple studies have shown that text messages improve appointment adherence, very little research has focused on low-income and predominantly African American populations in resident clinic settings. Objectives. To determine whether incorporating a text message reminder reduces the no-show rate at an urban, pediatric resident clinic. Methods. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary level ambulatory pediatric practice between August 2014 and February 2015. Following a demographic survey, 170 patients were enrolled. Patients were randomized into control or intervention groups. All patients received the standard voice message appointment reminder, but the intervention group additionally received a text message reminder. The primary outcome was no-show rate. Results. 95.3% of the participants were African American, and the overall no-show rate was 30.8%. No-show rate was significantly lower in the intervention group (23.5%) than the control group (38.1%) representing a difference of 14.6% (p=0.04). No demographic factors were found to alter the association between no-show rate and text message intervention. Conclusions. Text message reminders effectively improve show rates at a resident pediatric practice with high no-show rates, representing a promising approach to improving appointment adherence.

Efficacy and Impact of an mHealth Intervention to promote Mental Wellness for American Indian and Alaska Native Teens and Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the BRAVE Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Craig Rushing ◽  
Allyson Kelley ◽  
Sheana Bull ◽  
David Stephens ◽  
Julia Wrobel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Alaska Native ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Culturally Relevant ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Mental Wellness

BACKGROUND Culturally-relevant interventions are needed to help American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) teens and young adults navigate common risky situations involving family and friends, including drug and alcohol misuse, dating violence, and suicidality. We R Native – a multimedia health resource for Native teens and young adults – designed an intervention for Native youth, delivered via text message, that includes role model videos, mental wellness strategies, and links to culturally-relevant resources (hotlines, chat-lines, websites, etc.) and social support. OBJECTIVE This study aims to test the efficacy of BRAVE to improve participant’s physical, mental, and spiritual health, their use of mental wellness strategies, their help-seeking skills, and associated factors, including cultural resilience, identity, and cultural pride. METHODS The randomized controlled trial was carried out by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the mHealth Impact Lab. The team recruited 2,334 AI/AN teens and young adults nationwide (15-24 years old) via social media channels and text message and enrolled 1,044 to participate. AI/AN teens and young adults enrolled in the study received either: 8 weeks of BRAVE text messages designed to improve mental health, help-seeking skills, and cultural resilience; or 8 weeks of STEM text messages, designed to elevate and re-affirm Native voices in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEM); and then received the other set of messages. Primary and secondary outcomes were tested using linear mixed-effect models and linear regressions. RESULTS A total of 833 AI/AN teens and young adults were included in the analysis. Individuals in the BRAVE and STEM arms showed significant positive trends over the course of the study for all primary outcomes except cultural identity and help seeking behavior. Mean scores were significantly different for health (P<.001), resilience (P<.001), negative coping (P=.027), positive coping (P<.001), self-efficacy (P=.021), and self-esteem (P<.001). Changes in help-seeking self-efficacy were significant for those exhibiting risky behavior at baseline to exit (P=.01). Those who reported positive coping scores at baseline also reported better health on average, but no difference in risky drug and alcohol use (P<.001). The number of participants that used text messages to help themselves increased from 69% at 3-months (427/618) to 75% at 8-months (381/501) (P<.001). Similarly, the number of participants that used text messages to help a friend or family member increased from 22% at 3-months (138/616) to 55% at 8-months (272/498). CONCLUSIONS This is the first nationwide randomized controlled trial for AI/AN teens and young adults to test the efficacy of an mHealth intervention on mental wellness. The findings suggest that culturally-relevant multimedia, mHealth interventions can improve help-seeking behavior. Lessons learned from this study may help other AI/AN-serving organizations, prevention programs, policymakers, researchers, and educators as they support the next generation of AI/AN change-makers.

scholarly journals Effect of automated messaging on oral hygiene in adolescent orthodontic patients: A randomized controlled trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike C. Ross ◽  
Phillip M. Campbell ◽  
Larry P. Tadlock ◽  
Reginald W. Taylor ◽  
Peter H. Buschang
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Oral Hygiene ◽  
Treatment Time ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Orthodontic Patients ◽  
Hygiene Compliance

ABSTRACTObjective:To determine whether automated text messages sent daily to adolescent orthodontic patients improves oral hygiene more than weekly reminders.Materials and Methods:A blinded, prospective, randomized controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effects of automated messages on oral hygiene. Subjects were recruited from patients undergoing orthodontic treatment at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics. They were being treated with a variety of fixed full appliances in both arches. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a once-a-week text message group or a daily text message group. There were 52 females and 27 males who were 12 to 17 years of age. Oral hygiene was measured at the beginning of the study and again 8.6 ± 0.9 weeks later.Results:The daily reminder group (N = 42) had significantly greater improvements in oral hygiene compliance than the weekly reminder group (N = 37). The daily score decreases were 48%, 21% and 19% for the bleeding index (BI), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI), respectively. The weekly score decreases were 27%, 14% and 13% for the BI, PI, and GI. There were no sex differences in hygiene changes during the study. The 42% of patients who completed the survey at the end of the study wanted more frequent messages and reported that messages related to decreasing treatment time were the most effective, while those related to oral hygiene were the least effective.Conclusions:Daily text messages are more effective at improving oral hygiene than weekly text messages.

scholarly journals Effect of Mobile Phone Text Message Reminders on the Completion and Timely Receipt of Routine Childhood Vaccinations: Superiority Randomized Controlled Trial in Northwest Ethiopia (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeleke Abebaw Mekonnen ◽  
Kassahun Alemu Gelaye ◽  
Martin Were ◽  
Binyam Tilahun
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Northwest Ethiopia ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Routine Childhood

BACKGROUND Nonattendance at vaccination appointments is a big challenge for health workers as it is difficult to track routine vaccination schedules. In Ethiopia, 3 out of 10 children have incomplete vaccination and the timely receipt of the recommended vaccines is low. Thus, innovative strategies are required to reach the last mile where mobile technology can be effectively utilized to achieve better compliance. Despite this promising technology, little is known about the role of text message–based mobile health interventions in improving the complete and timely receipt of routine childhood vaccinations in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE This trial aimed to determine the effect of mobile phone text message reminders on the completion and timely receipt of routine childhood vaccinations in northwest Ethiopia. METHODS A two-arm, parallel, superiority randomized controlled trial was conducted in 9 health facilities in northwest Ethiopia. A sample size of 434 mother-infant pairs was considered in this trial. Randomization was applied in selected health facilities during enrollment with a 1:1 allocation ratio by using sealed and opaque envelopes. Participants assigned to the intervention group received mobile phone text message reminders one day before the scheduled vaccination visits. Owing to the nature of the intervention, blinding of participants was not possible. Primary outcomes of full and timely completion of vaccinations were measured objectively at 12 months. A two-sample test of proportion and log-binomial regression analyses were used to compare the outcomes between the study groups. A modified intention-to-treat analysis approach was applied and a one-tailed test was reported, considering the superiority design of the trial. RESULTS A total of 426 participants were included for the analysis. We found that a higher proportion of infants in the intervention group received Penta-3 (204/213, 95.8% vs 185/213, 86.9%, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), measles (195/213, 91.5% vs 169/213, 79.3%, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and full vaccination (176/213, 82.6% vs 151/213, 70.9%, respectively; <i>P</i>=.002; risk ratio 1.17, 95% lower CI 1.07) compared to infants in the usual care group. Similarly, a higher proportion of infants in the intervention group received Penta-3 (181/204, 88.7% vs 128/185, 69.2%, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), measles (170/195, 87.1% vs 116/169, 68.6%, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001), and all scheduled vaccinations (135/213, 63.3% vs 85/213, 39.9%, respectively; <i>P</i>&lt;.001; risk ratio 1.59, 95% lower CI 1.35) on time compared to infants in the usual care group. Of the automatically sent 852 mobile phone text messages, 764 (89.7%) were delivered successfully to the participants. CONCLUSIONS Mobile phone text message reminders significantly improved complete and timely receipt of all recommended vaccines. Besides, they had a significant effect in improving the timely receipt of specific vaccines. Thus, text message reminders can be used to supplement the routine immunization program in resource-limited settings. Considering different contexts, studies on the implementation challenges of mobile health interventions are recommended. CLINICALTRIAL Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201901533237287; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=5839

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

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.

scholarly journals Randomized Controlled Trial of Lifestyle Walking for African American Women: Blood Pressure Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoEllen Wilbur ◽  
Lynne T. Braun ◽  
Susan W. Buchholz ◽  
Arlene M. Miller ◽  
Louis Fogg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
American Women ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Blood Pressures ◽  
Group Meetings

The aim of this study was to test the effects of a lifestyle physical activity intervention (group meetings alone vs supplemented by personal or automated calls) on changes in systolic/diastolic blood pressures from baseline to 24 and 48 weeks among African American women. This was a randomized controlled trial with intervention conditions randomly assigned across 6 community health care sites. Participants were 288 sedentary African American women without major signs/symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Each intervention had 6 group meetings over 48 weeks, with 1 of 3 options between meetings: (1) no calls, (2) personal motivational calls, or (3) automated motivational calls. Blood pressures were taken at baseline, 24 weeks, and 48 weeks. Separate analyses were conducted using blood pressure classifications from the 2003 and 2017 high blood pressure guidelines. Average blood pressures decreased approximately 3 mm Hg for systolic and 2 mm Hg for diastolic from baseline to 48 weeks, with no differences between conditions. For both 2003 and 2017 blood pressure classifications, the risk ratio (odds of moving to a lower classification) was 1.44 for each assessment (P < .001). This lifestyle walking intervention appears beneficial in lowering blood pressure across blood pressure classifications in midlife African American women.

scholarly journals Toward mHealth Brief Contact Interventions in Suicide Prevention: Case Series From the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofian Berrouiguet ◽  
Mark Erik Larsen ◽  
Catherine Mesmeur ◽  
Michel Gravey ◽  
Romain Billot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Suicide Intervention ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Crisis Support ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Research indicates that maintaining contact either via letter or postcard with at-risk adults following discharge from care services after a suicide attempt (SA) can reduce reattempt risk. Pilot studies have demonstrated that interventions using mobile health (mHealth) technologies are feasible in a suicide prevention setting. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to report three cases of patients recruited in the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) study to describe how a mobile intervention may influence follow-up. METHODS SIAM is a 2-year, multicenter randomized controlled trial conducted by the Brest University Hospital, France. Participants in the intervention group receive SIAM text messages 48 hours after discharge, then at day 8 and day 15, and months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The study includes participants aged 18 years or older, who have attended a participating hospital for an SA, and have been discharged from the emergency department (ED) or a psychiatric unit (PU) for a stay of less than 7 days. Eligible participants are randomized between the SIAM intervention messages and a control group. In this study, we present three cases from the ongoing SIAM study that demonstrate the capability of a mobile-based brief contact intervention for triggering patient-initiated contact with a crisis support team at various time points throughout the mobile-based follow-up period. RESULTS Out of the 244 patients recruited in the SIAM randomized controlled trial, three cases were selected to illustrate the impact of mHealth on suicide risk management. Participants initiated contact with the emergency crisis support service after receiving text messages up to 6 months following discharge from the hospital. Contact was initiated immediately following receipt of a text message or up to 6 days following a message. CONCLUSIONS This text message–based brief contact intervention has demonstrated the potential to reconnect suicidal individuals with crisis support services while they are experiencing suicidal ideation as well as in a period after receiving messages. As follow-up phone calls over an extended period of time may not be feasible, this intervention has the potential to offer simple technological support for individuals following discharge from the ED. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02106949; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02106949 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wMtAFL49)

scholarly journals Effect of Mobile Phone Text Message Reminders on the Completion and Timely Receipt of Routine Childhood Vaccinations: Superiority Randomized Controlled Trial in Northwest Ethiopia

10.2196/27603 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. e27603
Author(s):  
Zeleke Abebaw Mekonnen ◽  
Kassahun Alemu Gelaye ◽  
Martin Were ◽  
Binyam Tilahun
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Text Message ◽  
Northwest Ethiopia ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Care Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Routine Childhood

Background Nonattendance at vaccination appointments is a big challenge for health workers as it is difficult to track routine vaccination schedules. In Ethiopia, 3 out of 10 children have incomplete vaccination and the timely receipt of the recommended vaccines is low. Thus, innovative strategies are required to reach the last mile where mobile technology can be effectively utilized to achieve better compliance. Despite this promising technology, little is known about the role of text message–based mobile health interventions in improving the complete and timely receipt of routine childhood vaccinations in Ethiopia. Objective This trial aimed to determine the effect of mobile phone text message reminders on the completion and timely receipt of routine childhood vaccinations in northwest Ethiopia. Methods A two-arm, parallel, superiority randomized controlled trial was conducted in 9 health facilities in northwest Ethiopia. A sample size of 434 mother-infant pairs was considered in this trial. Randomization was applied in selected health facilities during enrollment with a 1:1 allocation ratio by using sealed and opaque envelopes. Participants assigned to the intervention group received mobile phone text message reminders one day before the scheduled vaccination visits. Owing to the nature of the intervention, blinding of participants was not possible. Primary outcomes of full and timely completion of vaccinations were measured objectively at 12 months. A two-sample test of proportion and log-binomial regression analyses were used to compare the outcomes between the study groups. A modified intention-to-treat analysis approach was applied and a one-tailed test was reported, considering the superiority design of the trial. Results A total of 426 participants were included for the analysis. We found that a higher proportion of infants in the intervention group received Penta-3 (204/213, 95.8% vs 185/213, 86.9%, respectively; P<.001), measles (195/213, 91.5% vs 169/213, 79.3%, respectively; P<.001), and full vaccination (176/213, 82.6% vs 151/213, 70.9%, respectively; P=.002; risk ratio 1.17, 95% lower CI 1.07) compared to infants in the usual care group. Similarly, a higher proportion of infants in the intervention group received Penta-3 (181/204, 88.7% vs 128/185, 69.2%, respectively; P<.001), measles (170/195, 87.1% vs 116/169, 68.6%, respectively; P<.001), and all scheduled vaccinations (135/213, 63.3% vs 85/213, 39.9%, respectively; P<.001; risk ratio 1.59, 95% lower CI 1.35) on time compared to infants in the usual care group. Of the automatically sent 852 mobile phone text messages, 764 (89.7%) were delivered successfully to the participants. Conclusions Mobile phone text message reminders significantly improved complete and timely receipt of all recommended vaccines. Besides, they had a significant effect in improving the timely receipt of specific vaccines. Thus, text message reminders can be used to supplement the routine immunization program in resource-limited settings. Considering different contexts, studies on the implementation challenges of mobile health interventions are recommended. Trial Registration Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201901533237287; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=5839

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document