Abstract
Objectives
To assess whether short message service (SMS) text messages sent as prenotification
or postnotification reminders improve questionnaire response rates in randomized controlled
trial (RCT) follow-up.
Study Design and Setting
Three “trials within a trial” assessed text message notifications sent before or after
receipt of a follow-up questionnaire within an RCT for patients with depression. Consenting
patients (n = 523) were randomized to receive a prenotification or no notification at 3 months,
prenotification or postnotification at 6 months, and a postnotification or no notification
at 12-month follow-up. Unadjusted and adjusted questionnaire return rates and time
to return were compared.
Results
The two trials comparing prenotification or postnotification with no notification
at 3- and 9-month follow-up found no evidence of an effect on questionnaire response
rates (3-month response rate: 82.9% vs. 84.7% (difference 1.79%, 95% confidence interval
[CI] −4.53% to 8.11%, P = 0.58); 9-month response rate: 77.1% vs. 78.5% (difference = −1.44%, 95% CI −8.56%
to 5.67%, P = 0.69). For the trial at 6-month follow-up, there was a statistically significant
difference in response rates for postnotification (83.2%) compared with prenotification
(75.2%), (difference 7.95%, 95% CI 1.00% to 14.91%, P = 0.02).
Conclusion
SMS as a prenotification device seems ineffective. For postnotification, the evidence
is unclear.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 14, 2016
Accepted:
May 31,
2016
Footnotes
Funding: This study was funded by the York Trials Unit. The host trial was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research Programme (RP-PG-0707-10186).
Conflict of interest: None.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
