Simple Reminder Research Articles

Micro Life.

Description Painting is what I do to slow my brain and relax my body after a busy day at the hospital. Nothing puts me directly into a flow state like slowly moving acrylic paint across a canvas. This piece titled "Micro Life" depicts the diversity of life constantly surrounding us at the microbiological level everywhere we go. As a strong believer in nutrition and a healthy lifestyle, I know how important our microbiome is to healthy digestion and a properly functioning immune system. On the other side, I have witnessed the devastating effects dangerous microorganisms can have on our already compromised patients. Finally, this painting hangs in my office as a piece of art and a simple reminder to practice vigilant hand hygiene for our patients every day.

A chatbot informed by behavioural science increases vaccination rates more than a simple reminder.

A chatbot informed by behavioural science increases vaccination rates more than a simple reminder.

Oral self-management of palbociclib using mobile technology: Findings from a nurse-led randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesTest the feasibility and effectiveness of a text message reminder intervention for the self-management of oral anticancer medication in patients with metastatic breast cancer. MethodsForty-three females initiating treatment with palbociclib participated in a two-armed prospective randomized clinical trial. Participants were randomized into the control (N ​= ​21) and intervention groups (N ​= ​22) from January 2020 to January 2023. Survey responses were collected at three-time points; 1) at consent, 2)end of treatment cycles, and 3) at a follow-up clinic visit. Surveys included a demographic questionnaire, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, post-study assessment, and the R-15 Participant Satisfaction Questionnaire. Nurse providers completed the Adaptation of Stamps Nurse Workload questionnaire. ResultsThe COVID-19 pandemic and regulatory decisions supporting other CDK4/6 medications negatively influence recruitment; thus, a small sample for each arm only detected large differences between the two arms regarding effectiveness. Feasibility analysis was not conducted due to insufficient data, but the participants frequently used their smartphones for text messaging. Although the survey data were limited, participants provided anecdotal information supporting the use of text messaging as a positive method to remind them to take their medication, have their labs drawn, and attend MD visits. Participants would have liked text messages at the exact time they took their medications as a simple reminder. ConclusionsGiven the importance of cancer treatments and the difficulties patients experience during these treatments, text messages using smartphones can actively improve patients' engagement and their ability to manage their treatment regimens.

SMS-based interventions for improving child and adolescent vaccine coverage and timeliness: a systematic review

BackgroundThe aim of this review was to investigate the impact of short message service (SMS)-based interventions on childhood and adolescent vaccine coverage and timeliness.MethodsA pre-defined search strategy was used to identify all relevant publications up until July 2022 from electronic databases. Reports of randomised trials written in English and involving children and adolescents less than 18 years old were included. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.ResultsThirty randomised trials were identified. Most trials were conducted in high-income countries. There was marked heterogeneity between studies. SMS-based interventions were associated with small to moderate improvements in vaccine coverage and timeliness compared to no SMS reminder. Reminders with embedded education or which were combined with monetary incentives performed better than simple reminders in some settings.ConclusionSome SMS-based interventions appear effective for improving child vaccine coverage and timeliness in some settings. Future studies should focus on identifying which features of SMS-based strategies, including the message content and timing, are determinants of effectiveness.

Empowering Patient Hand Hygiene and Reducing Infection in the Oncology Population

Background: Significant focus has been placed on healthcare worker hand hygiene, but little attention is has been assigned to the role of patient hand hygiene (HH) in reducing hospital acquired infections. Therefore, in this quality improvement study, we examined the impact of providing patients with hand hygiene products around mealtime on increasing patient HH adherence and on reducing acquisition of nosocomial antibiotic resistant organisms. Methods: Patients on two inpatient leukemia units at a tertiary oncologic center were provided with a single use pre-packaged alcohol wipe on their meal trays prior to every meal (three times daily). Additionally, an information card explaining to patients how and when to use the alcohol wipe was provided on the meal trays three times a week. Both the wipe and instructions were designed with input from patient representatives at the hospital. Two oncologic control units were selected where no specific intervention for patient hand hygiene was conducted. Patient hand hygiene adherence on the control and intervention units were measured through once monthly patient interviews conducted after meals where patients were asked to recall whether they washed their hands prior to eating (using any product). Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) incidence was compared on the intervention and control units during the 7 months prior and 7 months following initiating the intervention. Results: During the seven-month intervention period, more than 15 000 wipes were dispensed to patients on the intervention units. Through interview, 91% of 87 patients on the intervention units reported cleaning their hands before eating a meal using any cleaning product compared to 72% of 68 patients on the control units (X2 = 9.32, p = 0.002). Furthermore, on the intervention units, 30 (38%) patients endorsed using the provided hand hygiene product. During intervention period, the combined incidence rate of VRE the intervention units was 1.85 case/1000 patient-days compared to 5.35 cases/1000 patient-days during the 7 months prior to intervention (t = 3.24, p=0.007)(Figure 1). Conclusions: This patient-centered quality improvement intervention increased patient hand hygiene and potentially reduced VRE incidence in a vulnerable oncologic population. This practical intervention that incorporated the patient perspective provided accessible hand hygiene products with simple instruction and reminders required minimal participation of unit staff. Further application of the intervention in non-oncologic populations is needed to further establish the relationship between patient hand hygiene and the acquisition of nosocomial infections.

Technology and the state: Building capacity to tax via text

The ability of the state to collect tax revenue is a crucial indicator in the process of economic development, yet the functioning of tax compliance in low-capacity countries remains poorly understood. Using a randomized evaluation, I study a simple text message reminder scheme implemented by the Uganda Revenue Authority, which increases tax compliance by 7%. This average effect masks substantial treatment effect heterogeneity by an index of the presence of public services, measured via a granular, nationwide dataset on government service provision. The finding that the treatment was most effective where the state is least present shows how digital technology can extend beyond the brick-and-mortar presence of the government, expanding the reach of the state.

Expanding access to identification cards and social programs: Experimental evidence from Panamá

AbstractWe experimentally analyze the effects of an intervention to induce the renewal of identification cards on access to a government social program in Panamá. On‐time renewals and access to government transfers increased by 10 and 3.6 percentage points, respectively. Simple reminders about expiration dates generated larger effects than also enabling individuals to renew their documents through an online platform, which users struggled to use despite its being designed to simplify the process. The results suggest that increasing access to identity documentation can reduce exclusion errors in social programs and that simply granting access to e‐government platforms may not necessarily improve public service delivery.

Comparing the impact of simple and educational point-of-decision messages on nutritional choice outcomes.

Emerging evidence suggests that point-of-decision messages may be an effective way to promote healthy food choices. Previous studies show improvements in overall nutritional quality, as well as increases in underconsumed food categories, such as fruits and vegetables, and underconsumed nutrients of public health concern, like dietary fiber. However, there have been multiple approaches used for delivering point-of-decision messages, including very brief messages that remind individuals to consider health during choice, as well as longer messages providing educational information about health benefits. While both approaches have demonstrated positive impacts on outcomes, there is no comparative evidence of the messages’ effectiveness. In this study, we examine the impact of four messages on two nutritional attributes of cereals selected in a two-round pre- and post-message breakfast cereal choice exercise with numerous (n = 33) breakfast cereals available. Data were collected via an online survey of adult US residents recruited from the Prolific consumer panel. Three of the messages were simple reminder messages (taste, health, fiber), while there was additionally a longer fiber-focused messaging detailing the health benefits of fiber. Findings show that the simple messages outperformed the longer educational message, though there were some trade-offs between general health and fiber messages. The simple dietary fiber-focused message resulted in significantly higher dietary fiber content in cereals chosen than in any other messaging condition, while the general health message did not result in significantly higher measures of nutritional quality than the simple fiber message. The results of the study suggest that simpler messages may be more effective at increasing the nutritional quality of food choices. Additionally, messages focused on specific nutrients lead to significantly greater increases in the content of those nutrients.

Field testing the transferability of behavioural science knowledge on promoting vaccinations

As behavioural science is increasingly adopted by organizations, there is a growing need to assess the robustness and transferability of empirical findings. Here, we investigate the transferability of insights from various sources of behavioural science knowledge to field settings. Across three pre-registered randomized controlled trials (RCTs, N = 314,824) involving a critical policy domain—COVID-19 booster uptake—we field tested text-based interventions that either increased vaccinations in prior field work (RCT1, NCT05586204), elevated vaccination intentions in an online study (RCT2, NCT05586178) or were favoured by scientists and non-experts (RCT3, NCT05586165). Despite repeated exposure to COVID-19 vaccination messaging in our population, reminders and psychological ownership language increased booster uptake, replicating prior findings. However, strategies deemed effective by prediction or intention surveys, such as encouraging the bundling of COVID-19 boosters and flu shots or addressing misconceptions, yielded no detectable benefits over simple reminders. These findings underscore the importance of testing interventions’ transferability to real-world settings.

Using the Australian Immunisation Register to support general practices to improve childhood vaccination rates.

Strategies to improve vaccination rates have been implemented with considerable benefits. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of a supported general practice intervention to 'catch up' overdue children. Between 2017 and 2018, a public health nurse visited 23general practices with high numbers of overdue children to assist staff identify and follow up truly overdue children. A comparison group consisted of a random sample of overdue children from other practices. The intervention was assessed by reviewing Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) records in 2019. Although the intervention group had a significantly higherproportion of children who had their AIR records corrected for vaccines administered prior to the initial practice visit, the intervention did not result in higher vaccination rates. Support to general practices can improve vaccination data on the AIR; however, simple reminders alone are unlikely to increase vaccination rates for truly overduechildren.

1868 Eight to Hydrate: Promoting oral hydration of elderly patients in hospital

Abstract Introduction Dehydration is associated with prolonged hospital admissions and complications. Elderly patients are more susceptible due to physiology, dexterity and cognition. The British Dietetic Association recommends minimum 7 beverages per day whilst The British Nutrition Foundation advises proactive dehydration risk management in hospital. This project aimed to reduce the proportion of elderly patients at risk of dehydration in hospital. Methods Staff documented oral hydration over 24 hours for patients on the Care of the Elderly ward. Additional factors obtained retrospectively included demographics, dementia diagnosis, fluid prescriptions and fluid restriction. Criteria adapted from a ‘Hydration Care Assessment Tool’ defined risk of dehydration by daily intake as low (>1500mls), medium (800-1500mls), high (400-800mls) or very high (<400mls). Approximating each drink as 200mls, we set a daily target of 8 beverages; equating to low risk. Visual hydration trackers were placed at patients' bedsides and junior doctors reminded the multi-disciplinary team each morning. Data collection was repeated after 2 weeks. Results First cycle recruited 13 males, 16 females with mean age 78.5. Over 50% were Very High Risk (5/29) or High Risk (12/29) of dehydration whilst the remainder were Medium Risk (10/29), or Low risk (2/29). 4/5 (80%) at Very High Risk received intravenous fluids. Of the High-Risk group, more than half had a diagnosis of dementia and 3/12 (25%) received fluids intravenously. Following intervention, 12 males and 7 females were recruited with mean age 76. Proportion at highest risk was reduced: Very High Risk (5/29 to 0/19; -100%), High Risk (12/29 to 3/19; -61%). Therefore, more were at Medium Risk (10/29 to 13/19; +101%) and Low Risk (2/29 to 3/19; +131%). Conclusion Though improved, few patients meet hydration recommendations. However simple visual reminders are an effective starting point. Further interventions could include oral fluid prescriptions and reflect staff and patient feedback.

Implementation of cognitive reappraisal in subthreshold psychosis

Cognitive reappraisal is an emotion regulation strategy based in cognitive behavioral therapy and can be associated with positive outcomes for individuals with and at risk for psychosis. However, the literature is mixed regarding whether this population uses cognitive reappraisal effectively. The current study examinedcognitive reappraisal effectiveness in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and healthy control participants (N = 66; 34 clinical high risk, 32 healthy controls). The experimental task instructed participants to engage in reappraisal in real-time to regulate distress. We hypothesized that control participants would be more effective at using cognitive reappraisal compared to psychosis-risk participants, resulting in greater distress reduction post-reappraisal. Results demonstrated the opposite: the psychosis-risk group reported a greater change in distress level than the healthy control group after reappraisal was employed (Cohen’s d = 0.52). Exploratory analyses revealed that the clinical high risk group reported higher pre-task distress, but reported post-reappraisal distress levels equivalent to the healthy control group. These results contribute to emerging evidence that suggests individuals on the psychosis spectrum can implement reappraisal effectively. Therefore, complex training to improve cognitive reappraisal may not be needed. Instead, future research should examine the potential clinical utility of using simple reminders and/or guided prompts to promote cognitive reappraisal in individuals on the psychosis spectrum.

Effects of academic dishonesty policy reminder on university students’ exam cheating – a double-blind randomized controlled experimental field study

ABSTRACT Academic cheating is a pervasive problem in many universities globally. The present double-blind randomized controlled field experiment tested whether reminding university students about academic dishonesty sanction policies would reduce their cheating in an actual exam. Students were assigned to either a Sanction Reminder or a No Reminder condition. Results showed a significant condition effect: Fewer students in the Sanction Reminder condition cheated than in the No Reminder condition; among those who cheated, males and females did not differ in their extent of cheating in the No Reminder condition but in the Reminder condition, male students cheated to a lesser extent than females. These findings suggest that sanction reminder, a widely used academic integrity practice, may indeed have its utility to promote academic honesty in exams. Further, they suggest that to reduce cheating on exams, one does not need to use methods that are overtly explicit and elaborate. A brief, subtle, and simple reminder would suffice. Our research also illustrates the importance of conducting well-controlled field behavioral research to evaluate the effectiveness of commonly implemented educational practices to ascertain that they indeed serve their designed pedagogical purposes to promote optimal learning.

The promise (and peril) in approaching gender parity: Preregistered survey experiments addressing gender inequality in negotiations

Despite repeated calls to reduce gender inequalities arising in negotiations, few solutions have emerged that effectively address the fact that women often ask—and even intend to ask—for less than men in negotiations. In this paper, we focus on intentions prior to a negotiation. We explore how a simple reminder of women’s inferior position in salary negotiations—showing either a stable or closing gender gap in salary requests—can help combat gender inequality by tapping into psychological motivations inherent to status competition. In two preregistered survey experiments of business school students and gig workers (n=4337), we show that any reminder of the gender gap in requested salaries leads women to intend to request more compared to the control groups in both samples. Showing a stable gap without female progress caused men in a business school, but not gig workers, to request less than men in a control condition. Yet, men in the same context request relatively more when shown a closing gap compared to the stable gap condition. Our work thus points both to the promise of simple interventions designed to reduce gender gaps in intended salary requests, as well as the perils arising from competitive dynamics as women actually approach parity.

Design and implementation of an Android-based medication reminder APP

In the prevention and control of disease in older people, particularly in the management of chronic diseases, patient adherence to medication has a significant impact on treatment outcomes and healing. Low medication adherence may worsen the condition and lead to increased morbidity mortality and healthcare costs. Therefore, in order to help remind the elderly population to take their medication on time to ensure relief and treatment, the project team will design an Android medication reminder app for the elderly, which will provide a simple and convenient medication reminder service for the elderly and reduce the associated burden for their children.

Intelligent interior atmosphere lamp system based on quantum dot LEDs for safe driving assistance.

A driver safety assisting system is essential to reduce the probability of traffic accidents. But most of the existing driver safety assisting systems are simple reminders that cannot improve the driver's driving status. This paper proposes a driver safety assisting system to reduce the driver's fatigue degree by the light with different wavelengths that affect people's moods. The system consists of a camera, an image processing chip, an algorithm processing chip, and an adjustment module based on quantum dot LEDs (QLEDs). Through this intelligent atmosphere lamp system, the experimental results show that blue light reduced the driver's fatigue degree when just turned on; but as time went on, the driver's fatigue degree rebounded rapidly. Meanwhile, red light prolonged the driver's awake time. Different from blue light alone, this effect can remain stable for a long time. Based on these observations, an algorith was designed to quantify the degree of fatigue and detect its rising trend. In the early stage, the red light is used to prolong the awake time and the blue light to suppress when the fatigue value increases, so as to maximize the awake driving time. The result showed that our device prolonged the awake driving time of the drivers by 1.95 times and reduced fatigue during driving: the quantitative value of fatigue degree generally decreased by about 0.2 times. In most experiments, the subjects were able to complete four hours of safe driving, which reached the maximum length of continuous driving at night allowed by China laws. In conclusion, our system changes the assisting system from a reminder to a helper, thus effectively reducing the driving risk.

Implementation of an Epidural Rounding Reminder in the Electronic Medical Record Improves Performance of Standardized Patient Assessments during Labor.

Poorly functioning labor epidural catheters lead to pain and dissatisfaction. Regular catheter assessment ensures timely identification of malfunction and may improve safety by facilitating rapid and successful conversion to general anesthesia for emergency cesarean. Informatics-based systems encourage standardization of care to identify epidural malfunctions earlier. This article demonstrates that visual epidural rounding reminder display on an electronic patient board would alert clinicians to elapsed time and decrease mean time between assessments. As a quality initiative, we implemented an epidural rounding reminder on our obstetric patient board. The reminder indicated the number of elapsed minutes since placement or last patient assessment. We retrospectively reviewed labor epidural charts 3 months prior to and 5 months following reminder implementation, with a 4-week washout period. The primary outcome was mean time between documented epidural assessments, with secondary outcomes including maximum time between assessments, total number of assessments during labor, catheter replacement rates, and patient satisfaction. Unadjusted comparisons between pre- and postimplementation groups were conducted using Wilcoxon's rank-sum and Pearson's chi-square tests, as appropriate. A test for equal variances was conducted for time between assessment outcomes. Following implementation, mean time between assessments decreased from a median of 173 (interquartile range [IQR]: 53, 314) to 100 (IQR: 74, 125) minutes (p <0.001), and maximum time between assessments decreased from median 330 (IQR: 60, 542) to 162 (IQR: 125, 212) minutes (p < 0.001). Total number of evaluations during labor increased from 3 (IQR: 2, 4) to 5 (IQR: 3, 7; p < 0.001). Decreased variance in mean and maximum time between assessments was noted following reminder implementation (p < 0.001). Epidural replacement rates decreased from 14 to 5% postimplementation (p < 0.001). Patient satisfaction was unchanged. Implementation of an informatics-based solution can promote standardization of care. A simple epidural rounding reminder prompted clinicians to perform more frequent labor epidural assessments. In the future, these process improvements must be linked to improvements in patient experiences and outcomes.

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri

Reviewed by: The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Nayeri, Daniel The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams; illus. by Daniel Miyares. Levine Querido, 2023 [224p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781646143030 $21.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Twelve-year-old Omar is fleeing for his life from a pair of murderous monks (who were actually entrusted to care for him but are clearly failing at it) when he, quite fortunately and quite literally, stumbles into a caravan of merchants. Samir the Seller of Dreams trades six bolts of silk for Omar’s life and takes him on as a servant, renaming him Monkey. Initially, Samir seems like a decent man, but it turns out he has duped his fair share of buyers, and now at least six, if not more, groups of assassins are dead set on killing him. Monkey bargains his freedom for his efforts to save Samir, but his success depends on trickery he’s not yet comfortable with. The episodic nature of the tale would make this an excellent classroom or family readaloud, and the intriguing characters, richly described setting, and fast-paced action maintains reader/listener engagement with ease. A self-proclaimed true believer of love, Omar/Monkey is nonetheless clueless about its nuances, and his attachment to needing a clear and distinct line between good and evil prevents him from seeing the complexity of people. He’s also not a terribly reliable narrator, and it’s possible his early judgments of Samir were never his true feelings at all. Nayeri’s immersive writing style brings a you-are-there energy to the depiction of the harsh but gorgeous environment of the Silk Road, and an informative author’s note further details the geography of the trail, its economic and social value, and the many people who traversed it. The book ends with a simple but profound reminder that love comes in many forms, it is almost always messy and unpredictable, and it is almost always worth every effort toward it. [End Page 230] Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The impact of a mindfulness bracelet on emotional affect in medical students: a prospective cohort study.

There is concern that negative changes in emotional outlook among medical students may impair the behavior of students, diminish learning, and ultimately affect patient care. Although most medical students begin their professional education with idealism, enthusiasm, and attention to humanity, they often have difficulty balancing their happiness with social and professional responsibilities. The following study aimed to determine if a simple mindfulness reminder (in the form of a bracelet) will impact emotional affect in first-year medical students. The second aim is to better understand the changes in emotional affect as students start medical school. First year medical students were invited to participate at the start of the academic year. Baseline survey data and demographic data were obtained prior to participants being given the mindfulness bracelet and a standardized presentation explaining its purpose. Follow-up surveys were obtained at one- and two-month intervals. Statistical analysis was based on sum score of the survey. Change of sum score over time was tested by using repeated measurement analysis. Data collection included 104 students at the initial distribution of the survey. Follow-up surveys were obtained from 78 and 69 students at the first- and second-month mark, respectively. No significant associations were detected between frequency of mindfulness bracelet usage and emotional affect. However, there was a significant decrease in positive affect over the first month of medical school (p < 0.01), followed by a significant recovery in positive affect in the second month of medical school (p < 0.01). Demographic data did not reveal statistically significant differences among demographic groups and progression of emotional affect. Although the mindfulness bracelet intervention did not yield significant improvement in emotional affect, our results are consistent with other studies demonstrating that the first year of medical school negatively impacts the emotional outlook of students. Future studies are needed to explore practical interventions and to better understand and address the negative effect that early medical school education has on student's emotional state.

Nudging credit union members to check their credit: Evidence from a field experiment

In this study, I explore whether emails that alert consumers to freely available credit score increase attention to personal financial accounts. A sample of credit union members are randomly assigned to receive an email message that highlights different motivations for viewing one’s score, including a simple reminder, social information, and monitoring for identity theft and errors. I find that message receipt does not increase attention to credit union accounts overall as measured by online account login activity. However, the messages are effective for subgroups of the sample. Examination of the daily log in data using panel data methods reveals timing of the treatment response. This study shows the potential for messaging interventions to increase attention to financial accounts and implications for policy.