Text Message Reminders for High Blood Pressure

Overseen By Phillip Levy, MD, MPH

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Wayne State University

Disqualifiers: Pregnancy, Children, Cognitive impairment, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

1000 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems to focus on observing patients with high blood pressure rather than changing their current treatment.

What data supports the effectiveness of text message reminders as a treatment for high blood pressure?

Research shows that sending text message reminders can help people stick to their high blood pressure treatment plans better. Studies found that these messages improve how well patients follow their medication schedules and attend clinic visits, which can lead to better blood pressure control. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Is it safe to use text message reminders for managing high blood pressure?

Research shows that using text message reminders for health management, including high blood pressure, is generally safe. There have been no reports of problems like misreading messages, privacy issues, or message delivery failures. ^{1 3 4 5 6}

How does the text message reminder treatment for high blood pressure differ from other treatments?

This treatment is unique because it uses mobile phone text messages to remind patients to take their medication and attend clinic visits, which can improve adherence to treatment plans. Unlike traditional treatments that focus solely on medication, this approach leverages technology to support patient engagement and consistency, especially in low-resource settings. ^{1 3 4 5 7}

What is the purpose of this trial?

This project is part of the ACHIEVE GREATER (Addressing Cardiometabolic Health Inequities by Early PreVEntion in the GREAT LakEs Region) Center (IRB# 100221MP2A), the purpose of which is to reduce cardiometabolic health disparities and downstream Black-White lifespan inequality in two cities: Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio. The ACHIEVE GREATER Center involves separate but related projects that aim to mitigate and understand health disparities in risk factor control of chronic conditions, (hypertension, heart failure, and coronary heart disease) which drive downstream lifespan inequality. The present study is the prospective observational cohort component of ACHIEVE P1- EPI (Project 1) of the ACHIEVE GREATER Center and serves to characterize the population of patients with blood pressure (BP) levels above normal attending The Wayne Health Mobile Health Unit (MHU) events to better understand key factors (e.g., social determinants of health) that convey information about baseline BP levels and related clinical outcomes (e.g., follow-up clinic visits, BP control).

Research Team

Steven J Korzeniewski, PhD

Principal Investigator

Wayne State University

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for individuals with high blood pressure in Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Ohio. Participants are being recruited from those attending Wayne Health Mobile Health Unit events to study factors affecting their blood pressure and health outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria

Has a phone with the ability to receive text messages

Consent to allow prospective follow-up including through EHR review

My blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg or higher.

Exclusion Criteria

I am not a patient in a mobile health unit.

I am able to understand and sign the informed consent form.

Currently enrolled in another on-going interventional trial initiated on the mobile health unit

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Prospective Observational Cohort

Participants are observed for subsequent health outcomes such as blood pressure levels and cardiometabolic risk factors following MHU participation.

12 months

Regular follow-up visits as per study protocol

Nested Randomized Trial

A sub-cohort is tested for adherence to a blood pressure measurement protocol with and without text message reminders.

12 months

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after the main observational and interventional phases.

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Text Message Reminder

Trial Overview The intervention being tested is the use of text message reminders aimed at improving management of high blood pressure among participants. This is part of a larger effort to reduce cardiometabolic health disparities in the region.

Participant Groups

Group I: Text Message Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants assigned to the interventional group will receive a text message reminding them to take their blood pressure.

Group II: Control/No Text Message Active Control 1 Intervention

Those assigned to the usual care group will not receive a reminder text message.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Wayne State University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

318

Recruited

111,000+

Findings from Research

In a study involving 1372 participants with high blood pressure, automated SMS text message support led to a small but significant reduction in systolic blood pressure compared to usual care, with a mean change of -2.2 mm Hg for information-only messages.

Both information-only and interactive SMS messaging improved the odds of achieving blood pressure control (<140/90 mm Hg) compared to usual care, but the interactive approach did not provide additional benefits.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mobile Phone Text Messages to Support Treatment Adherence in Adults With High Blood Pressure (SMS-Text Adherence Support [StAR]): A Single-Blind, Randomized Trial. Bobrow, K., Farmer, AJ., Springer, D., et al.[2022]

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different reminder methods (text messages, reminder calls, or both) in increasing the use of service referrals among 300 participants from community outreach programs.

The research will help determine how mobile phone-based interventions can enhance community engagement and service utilization, potentially guiding future reminder protocols for similar programs across the country.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. Varma, DS., Hart, M., McIntyre, DS., et al.[2020]

References

1. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Outpatient blood pressure monitoring using bi-directional text messaging. [2022]

2. Spain pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Effectiveness of an intervention to provide information to patients with hypertension as short text messages and reminders sent to their mobile phone (HTA-Alert)]. [2022]

3. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mobile Phone Text Messages to Support Treatment Adherence in Adults With High Blood Pressure (SMS-Text Adherence Support [StAR]): A Single-Blind, Randomized Trial. [2022]

4. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Improving treatment adherence for blood pressure lowering via mobile phone SMS-messages in South Africa: a qualitative evaluation of the SMS-text Adherence SuppoRt (StAR) trial. [2022]

5. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mobile phone text messaging improves antihypertensive drug adherence in the community. [2021]

6. Canada pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program. [2020]

7. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patient preferences and access to text messaging for health care reminders in a safety-net setting. [2022]