Health Providers Using Text Messaging
Patients in England and Australia are being offered a new service to remind them to take medicines, text messages. The England service sends women text reminders to take birth control bills. HIV positive patients in Australia receive reminders to promote adherence to complex drug treatment protocols. This trend is slowing beginning to catch on in the U.S., as reported by iHealthBeat.
Research in Germany is investigating the utility of text messaging as a psychological support tool for patients with bulimia. Data from New Zealand indicates that individuals trying to quit smoking who participate in smoking cessation programs that include supportive text messages fare better than those without the texts.
SexInfo was launched by the San Francisco Health Department last year. The program texts information about sexual health to those requesting such. The unique approach was part of a response to the rising rate of gonorrhea among young people of African American descent. The program was designed based on a similar program in Britain.
Alternatively, the Vodafone Group noted that text messaging protocols may only be useful and appropriate for certain segments of the population. The British cellular phone provider suggested that use of text messaging for the elderly may prove to have limited benefits, as this population is reticent to utilize new technologies.
These efforts still require research to determine effectiveness as a tool to address various health problems. Rifat Atun, of Imperial College in London, is planning a study in Africa to evaluate the effectiveness of text messaging as a tool to improve treatment for tuberculosis in poor village.
November 29, 2007 Related topics: Trends