Mobile Phone Reminders May Not Solve Adherence Problems

Mobile phones are ubiquitous, so it is not surprising that their use for health interventions has become mainstream. Nonetheless, the use of mobile phone reminders for management of HIV treatment remains controversial, because few clinical trials have been conducted on this strategy.

Now, investigators have conducted a multicenter, controlled, open-label trial to study the effect of mobile phone reminders on virologic suppression. HIV-infected patients in India who were initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) were randomized to receive standard care (counseling before ART initiation, routine clinical and laboratory tests at baseline, and follow-up assessments every 6 months) or a mobile phone intervention (standard care plus a weekly customi…