Background Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality among Asian Americans in the United States. Despite the available resources, a majority of HBV-infected individuals are not able to access adequate health care owing to numerous barriers. Objective This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a newly developed mobile texting app (HepTalk) in overcoming these barriers and improving patient engagement and health care access among HBV-infected and nonimmune individuals. Methods HepTalk was employed for two-way communication between participants and patient navigators. A total of 82 Korean American participants who were either HBV infected or nonimmune to HBV, identified from a community hepatitis B campaign in New York, were enrolled in the study. After informed consent was obtained, both the frequency and themes of the text messages were evaluated. The effects of this communication on linkage to care at the end of the 6-month intervention period were analyzed and discussed. Results On average, patient navigators sent and received 14 and 8 messages per participant, respectively, during the 6-month period. The themes of the messages were similar to the following 4 categories: finding providers, scheduling appointments with providers, health education, and financial issues. Of the 82 participants, 78 were linked to care within 6 months (a 95% linkage rate). Conclusions HepTalk may be employed as an effective and strategic tool to facilitate communicative interaction between patients and patient navigators or health care providers, thereby improving patient engagement and health care access.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Asian Americans and other ethnic groups, a majority of these populations remains unscreened and unprotected. A large percentage of those who are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are not linked to care owing to a poor health care access. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of mobile text messaging in engaging individuals with hepatitis B or at risk for it, and to assess their acceptance of text messaging interventions. Materials and Methods:A total of 32 individuals who were either chronically infected with HBV or non-immune to HBV were assigned to a patient navigator (PN), who subsequently arranged for the subjects to communicate through text messaging. The frequency and contents of messages between the subjects and the PN were evaluated. After the three month intervention period, results on linkage to care (LTC) were obtained. A self-report questionnaire was employed to assess the subjects' feedback on the use of text messaging.Results: All of 32 participants responded to the PNs with either text messaging or phone calls. The most frequent message themes were finding doctors and appointment reminders. Fourteen of 16 HBV infected subjects were linked to physicians, and all of 16 non-immune subjects received one or two vaccinations. The survey revealed strong receptivity to and acceptance of the use of text messaging.Conclusions: Mobile text messaging intervention provides a platform for patients to engage with medical personnel, thereby improving their access to healthcare.