Use of SMSs to Improve Attendance to Cervical Cancer Follow-up Screening

Marianne Andersen

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cervical Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: Connected to Care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02509702

Connected2Care

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effect of the SMS intervention 'Connected2Care' on the attendance rate to cervical cancer screening follow-up appointments.

Full description

Connected2Care is a non-blinded, multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Tanzanian Women testing positive to HR HPV at inclusion are randomly assigned in an allocation ratio of 1:1 to the SMS intervention or the control group (standard care). In a period of 10 months, the intervention group will receive 15 one-directional health educative text messages and SMS-reminders for their appointment. The total sample size will be 700 with 350 women in each study arm. Primary outcome is attendance rate for follow-up. Secondary objectives are cost-effectiveness measured through incremental ratios and knowledge of cervical cancer by a 16-item true/false scale questionnaire at baseline and follow-up.

Enrollment: 705 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 25 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Informed consent
• HPV positive
• Age 25 - 60 years
• Private mobile phone

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant on day of enrolment
• Menstruating on day of enrolment
• Hysterectomy
• Diagnosed with cervical pre-cancer within past 12 months
• Diagnosed with cervical cancer
• Invalid mobile phone number
• Unreachable when trying to convey HPV positive result

Trial design

Primary purpose: Screening

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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705 participants in 2 patient groups

Connected to Care

Experimental group

Description:

The SMS intervention will consist of 15 text messages that will be sent to the intervention group over a period of 10 months. There will be two types of text messages: (1) educational text messages; and (2) SMS reminders for the follow-up appointment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Connected to Care

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

The control group will receive standard care, which is a follow-up appointment at 14 months written on an appointment card.