Assessing the acceptability of a text messaging service and smartphone app to support patient adherence to medications prescribed for high blood pressure: a pilot study.

Abstract

Aims and objectives. This paper describes the a pilot non-randomised controlled study of a highly tailored 56-days text message and smartphone app prototype intervention to increase adherence to anti-hypertensive medication in primary care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the intervention and obtain patients views about the intervention content, the delivery mode, and the mechanisms by which the intervention supported medication adherence. Methods. Patients diagnosed with hypertension were invited to the study via general practice text messages invitation and were recruited face to face by the researcher team. Participants were asked to tested the text message intervention for 28 consecutive days and switch to or the text message followed by the smartphone app for 56 28 more days. Participants completed baseline and follow up questionnaires and took part in a semi-structured weekly or end of intervention telephone interviews. Digital log files captured patients’ usage of the intervention. Participant transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize data from questionnaires and log files. A mixed methods analysis generated data to respond to the research questions. Results. 79 patients expressed their interest to participate in this study, of whom and 23 (64% male, 82% above 60 years old) of these patients were recruited to take part. With one drop-out, 22 participants tested the text message delivery mode (with 20 being interviewed) and four of them (17%) requested to switched to the app (with 3 being interviewed). All participants used and engaged and interacted with the text message and app notifications, and most participants found the intervention content and delivery mode acceptable. They also self-reported that the interactive elements of the intervention supported motivated them to take their medications as prescribed. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that the digital intervention is acceptable by hypertensive patients recruited in primary care. Future research could usefully, thus it should investigatebe its tested for its feasibility and effectiveness using rigorous research methods.