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

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Clinical Interventions

Background:

• High patient no-show rates negatively impact clinic productivity and patient care.
• Limited research exists on appointment adherence interventions in low-income, minority populations within resident clinics.
• Text message reminders are a known strategy to improve appointment adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of text message reminders in reducing no-show rates.
• To assess this intervention in an urban, pediatric resident clinic setting.
• To determine if text message reminders improve appointment adherence in a vulnerable population.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary pediatric practice.
• 170 patients were randomized into a control group (standard voice reminder) and an intervention group (voice + text message reminder).
• The primary outcome measured was the clinic's no-show rate.

Main Results:

• The overall no-show rate was 30.8%, with 95.3% of participants being African American.
• The intervention group demonstrated a significantly lower no-show rate (23.5%) compared to the control group (38.1%).
• No demographic factors influenced the effectiveness of text message reminders on show rates.

Conclusions:

• Text message reminders are an effective strategy for improving patient show rates in pediatric resident clinics.
• This intervention shows promise for enhancing appointment adherence, particularly in settings with high no-show rates.
• The findings support the use of text message reminders as a tool to improve healthcare access and efficiency.