Text Messaging Clinical Trial
Official title:
Evaluation of Text Messaging as an Educational Method to Improve Healthcare Utilization
The overall goal is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using text messages as an educational tool in order to improve health care utilization among the parents and caregivers of newborns; in particular, the investigators seek to understand how educational text messages counteract the effects of low health literacy as it relates to non-urgent visits to the emergency department.
Health care utilization is a issue germane to health care providers, insurers, and patients
alike. Reducing non-urgent visits to the emergency department (ED) and primary care providers
can improve both the quality and cost of care. There are barriers, however, to educating
patients about more appropriate health care utilization. Low health literacy is one such
barrier, particularly for caregivers of pediatric patients. Research reveals that up to half
of caregivers seeking treatment at the ED have low levels of health literacy; levels that can
make it more difficult to not only make sound decisions, but also provide effective follow-up
care. Moreover, low levels of literacy perpetuate a cycle of seeking care for non-urgent
conditions. Education initiatives designed to counteract the effects of low health literacy
on health care utilization have been shown to reduce non-urgent ED visits by as much as 80%.
These education interventions, while effective, are complex, costly, or time-intensive. For
example, home visits by a nurse, parenting classes, and video tools are all shown to reduce
non-urgent ED use, but each poses a unique problem for implementation in high volume, urban,
pediatric primary care clinic. To date, no study has examined the effectiveness of text
messaging as a possible avenue for educating caregivers about issues related to health care
utilization. Text messaging has been shown to support behavioral change, and represents a
fast and cost-effective alternative to more labor-intensive and expensive alternatives.
Danis Pediatrics, the pediatric practice of Saint Louis University physicians within SSM
Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center (CGCMC), serves as a medical home to primarily
urban, low-income patients. In the first half of 2014 alone, there were 5259 visits to the ED
by caregivers of patients < 13 months of age. Of those, 520 Danis Pediatrics patients
accounted for 919 of those visits. In short, just under 1 in 5 visits to the CGCMC ED is a
Danis patient, and Danis patients visit the ED approximately 2 times in the first year.
Previous studies of patients at Danis Pediatrics suggest that this population has access to
text messaging and is interested in receiving healthcare-related information from their
pediatric provider.
;
Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
---|---|---|---|
Completed |
NCT02037087 -
The Impact of Prenatal Short Messages (SMS) on Maternal and Newborn Health
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT04245020 -
A Study Comparing Three Methods of Outpatient Follow up After Surgical Admission; Text Message, Phone Call and In-person Appointment
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT03710213 -
Automated Navigation to Improve Outpatient Colonoscopy Adherence
|
N/A | |
Terminated |
NCT05509738 -
Feasibility of Text4US Program
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT05086237 -
Well-Child Visit Trial
|
N/A | |
Withdrawn |
NCT03370978 -
Text Messaging Follow-up From ED
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT03991546 -
Pain and Narcotic Usage After Orthopaedic Surgery
|
N/A | |
Recruiting |
NCT03868176 -
Study Evaluating the Impact of Short Message Service on Compliance With Surveillance of Patients With Germ-cell Tumors
|
||
Completed |
NCT00919932 -
Using a Text-message System to Engage Depressed Adolescents in Cognitive-behavioral Therapy Homework
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT03379142 -
Faith Based Pilot Intervention to Reduce Tobacco Use Among Somali Males
|
N/A | |
Completed |
NCT05189080 -
Twilio Well-Child Visit Pilot Open Trial
|
N/A | |
Recruiting |
NCT06318975 -
Text-Based Messaging Strategies for Preventing Subsequent Problematic Alcohol Use
|
N/A |