TXT Reminders 2 ED Pts Improve F/U

Emergency department patients who received automated text message reminders were more likely to attend post-discharge follow-up visits.

Text messages have been successfully employed to increase vaccination rates (NEJM JW Pediatr Adolesc Med May 9 2012) and curtail binge drinking (NEJM JW Emerg Med Aug 4 2014). Could text message reminders improve the poor outpatient follow-up rates for emergency department (ED) patients? To find out, researchers in Los Angeles randomized 374 patients to receive automated text message reminders (in either English or Spanish) at 7 days, 3 days, and 1 day before their first scheduled outpatient appointments, or to receive no text messages.

Among 328 patients included in the per-protocol analysis, those in the intervention group were significantly more likely to attend their first scheduled outpatient visit (73% vs. 62%). The intervention had th…

Reviewing Author

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

Ali S. Raja, MD, MBA, MPH, FACEP

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesSociety for Academic Emergency Medicine (Board Member); American College of Healthcare Executives – Massachusetts (Board Member)

TXT Reminders 2 ED Pts Improve F/U

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Reviewing Author