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Published on: April 11, 2018
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Automated Text Message Reminders Improve Radiation Therapy Compliance
Jun Tan1, Alana Christie2, Steven K Montalvo1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics
|December 4, 2018
Summary
Automated text message reminders significantly improved patient compliance with radiation therapy appointments, reducing tardiness and no-shows. This simple intervention enhances cancer care delivery by ensuring patients attend their scheduled treatments.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Therapy
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Radiation therapy course protraction negatively impacts cancer control and survival.
- Missed appointments and clinical inefficiency can disrupt daily radiation therapy delivery.
- Multimodality cancer care necessitates robust patient scheduling and adherence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an automated text messaging (short message service [SMS]) platform in improving patient compliance with radiation therapy appointments.
- To determine if daily SMS reminders can reduce missed appointments and enhance clinical efficiency in radiation oncology.
Main Methods:
- An automated SMS platform was implemented to send daily appointment reminders to patients undergoing radiation therapy.
- Patient compliance data was analyzed for those who opted-in to receive SMS reminders versus those who did not.
- Multivariate analysis assessed the association between SMS reminders and appointment tardiness or no-shows.
Main Results:
- Non-receipt of SMS reminders was strongly associated with increased tardiness (15-60 minutes and >60 minutes) and no-shows.
- Factors such as early treatment course, earlier appointment times, younger age, and male sex were linked to decreased compliance.
- SMS message receipt did not correlate with overall treatment package duration.
Conclusions:
- Automated text message reminders demonstrate a correlation with improved compliance for radiation therapy appointments.
- SMS interventions may be effective in enhancing adherence for patients at risk of missing or being late to appointments.
- Further prospective randomized trials are needed to conclusively establish SMS effectiveness.
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