Leah Zallman1,2,3,4, Adriana Bearse2, Catherine West5, David Bor1,4, Danny McCormick1,4. 1. a Department of Medicine , Cambridge Health Alliance , Cambridge , MA , USA. 2. b Institute for Community Health , Malden , MA , USA. 3. c Kraft Center for Community Health , Boston , MA , USA. 4. d Department of Medicine , Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA. 5. e Center for Health and Information Analysis, Commonwealth of Massachusetts , Boston , MA , USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Text messaging may be an effective method for providing health care reminders to patients. We aimed to understand patient access to and preferences for receiving health-related reminders via text message among patients receiving care in safety-net hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted face-to-face surveys with 793 patients seeking care in three hospital emergency departments at a large safety-net institution and determined clinical and demographic predictors of preferences for text messaging for health care reminders. RESULTS: 95% of respondents reported having daily access to text messaging. Text messaging was preferred over e-mail, phone, and letters for communication. 78% of respondents wanted to receive appointment reminders, 56% wanted expiring insurance reminders, and 36% wanted reminders to take their medications. We found no clinical predictors but did find some demographic predictors-including age, ethnicity, insurance status, and income-of wanting text message reminders. DISCUSSION: In our convenience sample of safety-net patients, text messaging is an accessible, acceptable, and patient-preferred modality for receiving health care reminders. Text messaging may be a promising patient-centered approach for providing health care and insurance reminders to patients seeking care at safety-net institutions.
INTRODUCTION: Text messaging may be an effective method for providing health care reminders to patients. We aimed to understand patient access to and preferences for receiving health-related reminders via text message among patients receiving care in safety-net hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted face-to-face surveys with 793 patients seeking care in three hospital emergency departments at a large safety-net institution and determined clinical and demographic predictors of preferences for text messaging for health care reminders. RESULTS: 95% of respondents reported having daily access to text messaging. Text messaging was preferred over e-mail, phone, and letters for communication. 78% of respondents wanted to receive appointment reminders, 56% wanted expiring insurance reminders, and 36% wanted reminders to take their medications. We found no clinical predictors but did find some demographic predictors-including age, ethnicity, insurance status, and income-of wanting text message reminders. DISCUSSION: In our convenience sample of safety-net patients, text messaging is an accessible, acceptable, and patient-preferred modality for receiving health care reminders. Text messaging may be a promising patient-centered approach for providing health care and insurance reminders to patients seeking care at safety-net institutions.
Entities:
Keywords:
Patient preferences; safety-net; text messaging
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