Willingness and feasibility of utilising short messaging services (SMS) as reminders of follow-up care to mental health care users in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

Current trends in medical practise have shown increasing interest in the use of mobile technology, and this has been proven to increase treatment adherence. Short message service (SMS) may improve service delivery through appointment reminders and improve communication between health care workers and patients. The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility and acceptability of utilising SMS to remind outpatient mental health care users of their follow-up care in the uMgungundlovu District. The study took place at four outpatient mental health care clinics in the uMgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal. This study employed a non-experimental quantitative survey. A non-probability convenient sampling method was used to select 182 participants at the mental health care clinics. Results showed that almost all 99.5% the participants have access to mobile phone, majority of the respondents who could access mobile phone n = 169 (93.4%) indicated that they would be interested in receiving SMS. There is significant association between willingness to receive medical SMS via mobile phone and being a single user of the phone (OR: 11.6, 96%, CI: 6.42–20.89), p < 0.001 and regular user of SMS (OR: 0.23, 96%, CI: 0.55–0.97), p = 0.045. In addition, most participants indicated that it would be feasible, acceptable and expedient to mental health care service. The study demonstrated that there was an interest and increased access in mobile technology. SMS is a viable method of improving attendance rates for follow-up care of mental health care users and endorse the use of existing mobile technology.