Effect of reminder text message on number of missed appointments and on patient’s self-reported level of pain after placement of rubber separators

Author: 
Achint D. Chachada., Chinmay Rathod., Hazarey P. V., Sanjeev Jakati ., Mrunal Aley., Harish Atram and Mugdha Mankar

Objective: To determine effect of Reminder Text Message on number of missed appointments and Patient’s self reported level of Pain after placement of rubber separators.

Materials and Methods: 100 patients were randomly divided into two groups of 50 each: Text Message group and Control Group. Reminder text messages were sent to text message group before each appointment during the complete course of treatment while no such message were sent to control group subjects. After placement of rubber separators, a structured Text Message concerning about patient’s well being was sent to Text message group patients. Patients in both groups were given Visual Analogue Scale chart to mark the level of pain perception immediately after placement of separators, 4hours after placement. Effect of text message on number of missed appointments was analyzed using student’s t-test while self reported level of pain was analyzed using ANOVA test.

Results: Text message group missed less number of appointments as compared to control group patients. Pain intensity was highest at day 2 in both groups, text message group reported 6.56% reduction in pain as compared to control group.

Conclusion: A simple text message can be an effective tool to reduce number of missed appointments as well as reduce level of pain perceived after placement of separators.

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