Text Messaging Follow-up From ED

The Role of Text Messaging in Follow-up Appointments for Patients Discharged From the Emergency Department

Ensuring follow-up for patients after discharge from the emergency department (ED) has long been a concern for ED care providers. The current technology of text messaging may be able to assist us in improving follow-up rates. In addition, having a quick and easy communication tool to be in touch with providers may improve overall patient satisfaction. This study is designed to evaluate the usage of text messaging to improve follow-up appointment compliance from the Emergency Department. In this study, a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be performed (involving patients scheduled by Emergency Department Nurse Navigators to follow up with Family Medicine) in which patients will be randomized to a texting appointment reminder versus standard-of-care (no texting reminder) group. Texted patients will receive reminders 3 days and 1 day prior to their follow-up appointment. In addition, the patients will have the ability to text back-and-forth with the Nurse Navigators in order to ask questions/request clarification if needed. Chart review will be performed of both groups to evaluate the number of follow-up appointments that patients attended versus rescheduled versus did not attend/reschedule. These values will then be compared to the retrospective chart review previously performed to evaluate for non-inferiority of text messaging as a means of improving patient attendance at follow-up appointments.

Study Overview

• Status: Withdrawn
• Conditions: Text Messaging
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Text Messaging

• Study Type: Interventional
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Iowa
    • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
      • University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. At least 18 years old
2. Able to read, write and communicate in English - English as the primary language
3. Has a phone with capabilities for text messaging
4. Identifies oneself as someone who is comfortable with text messaging.
5. To follow-up with Family Medicine as outpatient (Scheduled through Emergency Department Nurse Navigators).
6. Evaluated in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Emergency Department

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Absence of one or more inclusion criteria
2. Not able to provide informed consent or participate due to limited decision-making ability.
3. Prisoner
4. Previously has followed with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Family Medicine (i.e., would not be a "new" patient establishing care).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: OTHER
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: SINGLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Text Messaging; Receives text messages to remind of upcoming follow-up appointment with primary care doctor. Also provides opportunity for subjects to text ED staff for follow-up care concerns or to reschedule primary care appointment.	Behavioral: Text Messaging; To communicate with intervention patients after discharge from the ED, we will use a bidirectional text messaging service provided by another physician's research group within the University of Iowa. The nurse navigator will enter the patient's study identification number, first and last name and cell phone onto a secure study website established by this research group. Patients will, as previously mentioned, have had their cell phone number tested in the text messaging system prior to leaving the Emergency Department (this includes the control group). Patient's will receive a text message 3 days, and 1 day, prior to their scheduled follow-up appointment with Family Medicine (this appointment having been scheduled through the Emergency Department Nurse Navigators). Each text message will remind the patient of the date/time of their appointment, and provide them a link containing a map with the location of their appointment.
No Intervention: Usual Care; Received usual care including follow-up phone calls if clinically indicated.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Attending Primary Care Appointment	Attending appointment versus rescheduling versus not showing	Less than 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Iowa

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 7, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 7, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): December 13, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 30, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2021
• Last Verified: April 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 201607734

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No IPD will be shared

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No