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

Chia-Lei Lin,Hong Li,Nila Mistry,Rina Lazebnik,Jordana Boneh

doi:10.1155/2016/8487378

Abstract

Background. High no-show rates can burden clinic productivity and affect patient care. Although multiple studies have shown that text messages improve appointment adherence, very little research has focused on low-income and predominantly African American populations in resident clinic settings. Objectives. To determine whether incorporating a text message reminder reduces the no-show rate at an urban, pediatric resident clinic. Methods. A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary level ambulatory pediatric practice between August 2014 and February 2015. Following a demographic survey, 170 patients were enrolled. Patients were randomized into control or intervention groups. All patients received the standard voice message appointment reminder, but the intervention group additionally received a text message reminder. The primary outcome was no-show rate. Results. 95.3% of the participants were African American, and the overall no-show rate was 30.8%. No-show rate was significantly lower in the intervention group (23.5%) than the control group (38.1%) representing a difference of 14.6% (p = 0.04). No demographic factors were found to alter the association between no-show rate and text message intervention. Conclusions. Text message reminders effectively improve show rates at a resident pediatric practice with high no-show rates, representing a promising approach to improving appointment adherence.

Highlights

Missed clinic appointments present a significant burden to the health care system and prevent optimal care for patients
There were no significant differences between the demographics of the control and intervention groups, including sex and race of the patient, median age of
Our results indicate that sending text message reminders is an effective means to improve appointment adherence at a pediatric resident clinic in an urban setting

Summary

Introduction

Missed clinic appointments present a significant burden to the health care system and prevent optimal care for patients. A scheduled appointment slot represents time and effort invested by the clinic and scheduling personnel to prepare for the visit. Failure to attend an appointment represents a missed opportunity for other patients that may require a timely follow-up, disrupting optimal care. Multiple studies have shown that text messages improve appointment adherence, very little research has focused on low-income and predominantly African American populations in resident clinic settings. To determine whether incorporating a text message reminder reduces the no-show rate at an urban, pediatric resident clinic. No demographic factors were found to alter the association between no-show rate and text message intervention. Text message reminders effectively improve show rates at a resident pediatric practice with high no-show rates, representing a promising approach to improving appointment adherence

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion