Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have found text messaging prevents one in six patients from forgetting to take, or stopping, their prescribed medicines.
The randomised trial, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, tested whether text messaging improved the use of blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medication for the prevention of heart attacks and stroke – the most common causes of death worldwide.
Around a third of people do not take their treatment as prescribed, greatly reducing potential benefits and costing the NHS over £500m in wasted medicines and treating avoidable illness. Some patients forget to take their tablets and others stop because of uncertainty over the benefits or harms of treatment.
The INTERACT trial involved 303 patients who had been prescribed blood pressure and/or cholesterol lowering medication. Patients were divided randomly into two groups; a ‘text message’ group who received periodic text messages and a ‘no text’ group who received no text messages.
The ‘text message’ group received texts every day for two weeks, alternate days for two weeks and then weekly for 6 months, asking if they had taken their medication that day. Patients who had not, or did not reply, were telephoned and offered help.
In the ‘no text’ group, 25% of patients stopped their medication completely or took less than four fifths of their prescribed treatment, compared with only 9% in the ‘text message’ group.
The Latest on: Text messaging reminders
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Text messaging reminders” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Text messaging reminders
- Text message outreach can help increase mammogram completion rateson May 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In trial A, women were randomly assigned to receive a signed bulk order for a mammogram or no order; patients were concurrently assigned to receive or not receive text message reminders. In trial B, ...
- 13 tricks for more efficient Android messagingon May 1, 2024 at 3:01 am
Save time and communicate more effectively with these easy-to-miss advanced options for Google's Android Messages app.
- Englewood Health study: Can text messages help increase screenings?on April 29, 2024 at 1:01 am
In the post-pandemic era, health care systems across the U.S. are reporting a rise in the number of missed appointments. Now, a growing body of research has shown there may be a better way to ...
- Sick of political text messages? Here’s how to stop themon April 28, 2024 at 10:36 am
Lately, that means less door-knocking and more text messages. Candidates and causes you didn’t even know had your phone number may be blowing up your phone asking for your vote or your money.
- Granicus Two-Way Messaging Aims for Interactive Governmenton April 26, 2024 at 4:21 pm
The company introduced two-way text messaging for the govDelivery solution, to more directly connect the public sector and residents — but also enhance agencies’ ability to gather feedback and improve ...
- Text My Gov Reminderon April 25, 2024 at 8:39 am
LAWRENCE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY IS REMINDING LAWRENCE COUNTIANS OF TEXT-MY-GOV MESSAGING SERVICE ON WEDNESDAY. THE SERVICE WILL ALLOW RESIDENTS TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS AND ...
- 10 best texting apps and SMS apps for Androidon April 12, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Text messaging is one of the most popular ways ... The app automatically generates reminders from texts about flights, bills, and events. Users can back up messages, dictate texts, and filter ...
- You've got court: Text messaging is latest tool in effort to reduce warrants for missed hearingson April 9, 2024 at 11:01 pm
Witalec said there is no cost to the counties. Courts across the country have embraced email or text message reminders for court dates, and research has shown they work for reducing missed ...
- 10 Kid-Friendly Smartwatches with GPS, Text, or Voice Call Technologyon July 1, 2023 at 6:00 am
Finding the best smartwatch for younger kids means looking for features like durability, alarm clock functionality, cameras, and parental controls. For older kids, tweens, and teens, GPS, extended ...
- how much does a text reminder service cost for a business?on November 4, 2021 at 9:20 am
How can I send text reminders to customers for free? provides you with free SMS appointment reminder software. You can send text messages to start getting more appointments. Create a free account ...
via Bing News