Using SMS reminders in psychology clinics: a cautionary tale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Healthcare services face increasing strain, prompting exploration of technological solutions for cost-efficiency.
• Implementing technological adjuncts in psychological practice requires careful evaluation of their impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of SMS reminders on client appointment attendance and dropout rates in psychological treatment.
• To determine if SMS reminders increase initial and total appointment attendance and decrease client dropout.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial with 140 participants at an outpatient psychology clinic.
• Participants were allocated to receive SMS appointment reminders or no reminders.
• Outcomes measured included appointment attendance (attended, rescheduled, did not attend) and treatment dropout (completed, terminated early).

Main Results:

• No significant difference in appointment attendance between the SMS reminder and no-reminder groups.
• A higher rate of client dropout was observed in the SMS reminder group compared to the no-reminder group.

Conclusions:

• SMS appointment reminders were ineffective in improving attendance for psychological services.
• Client non-attendance in psychological settings is influenced by factors beyond simple appointment forgetting.
• While technological adjuncts can enhance cost-efficiency, their effects must be thoroughly understood before widespread adoption.