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Behaviourally informed text message reminders to increase cervical screening attendance in people with severe mental
Beth Nichol1,2, Andrew Bryant3, Lesley Hall4
1NIHR Policy Research Unit Behavioural and Social Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK beth.nichol@newcastle.ac.uk.
Objectives:
This study assessed the feasibility of both the delivery and evaluation of 'enhanced' (behaviourally informed) text message reminders containing links to existing co-designed resources supporting decision-making for people with severe mental illness (SMI) regarding attendance of cervical screening.
Design:
A pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Setting:
13 General Practice (GP) practices in London were recruited.
Participants:
GP practices identified people with SMI aged 24-64 years who were overdue cervical screening. Target sample size was 120 participants (60 per arm) based on existing guidance for pilot trials.
Intervention:
In March 2025, participants were randomised (1:1) to receive either the enhanced (intervention) or the standard (control) SMS reminder.
Primary And Secondary Outcome Measures:
18 weeks later, feasibility outcomes were collected (primary outcomes) and data analysis for a definitive RCT was rehearsed (secondary outcome).
Results:
Of the 150 participants across 13 GP practices that were randomised (n=75 per arm), 132 (88%) texts delivered (intervention n=64/75 (85%), control n=68/75 (91%)). 10 practices (76.9%) provided follow-up data for 102 participants (intervention n=50, control n=52). Five participants (intervention n=4, control n=1) attended screening within the trial period. Participant survey response rate was low (9/132 (7%), intervention n=5, control n=4). Both SMS messages were low cost, with the intervention SMS a 50% higher cost to deliver (7.5p vs 5p per SMS). Primary feasibility measures of recruitment rate of GP practices (27%), retention of GP practices (77%) and participants (100%), SMS delivery (88%) and data completeness (64%) indicated viability, although survey response rate (7%) did not.
Conclusions:
Achieving adequate recruitment and retention, data completeness and comparable groups is viable with some amendments, although an alternative method is required to assess fidelity. Behaviourally informed SMS reminders are feasible to deliver to people with SMI, although it is uncertain if the extra resources are accessed and used. With changes to data collection, a definitive trial could be feasible. Given the low observed cervical screening attendance, additional intervention is needed for this group.
Trial Registration Number:
ISRCTN12558681.