Short message services interventions for chronic disease management: A systematic review

Abstract Introduction The burden of chronic diseases has continued to grow globally. Technology has been used successfully in the management of chronic conditions through diagnosis, monitoring and education. This review aims to collate available evidence to evaluate the role of short message services (SMS), as an intervention, in patient participation in disease management of three common chronic diseases, i.e., Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Materials and Method The review identified eight eligible studies in PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane library that assessed the effect of SMS interventions on self-management in HIV, DM and COPD. Outcomes of interest included adherence to the self-management plan, lifestyle modification (e.g., exercise and diet), clinical outcomes (e.g body mass index, blood glucose level, blood pressure), knowledge of disease, feasibility, acceptability, usability, and cost-effectiveness. Results Adherence, knowledge about their disease conditions, and feasibility/acceptability were assessed in eight, six and three studies, respectively. Improvements from pre- to post-intervention in adherence and clinical outcomes (including body mass index and blood glucose level) were recorded in eight and three studies. Patients reported having knowledge about their conditions and were willing to continue with the intervention (patient acceptability and usability). However, some patients complained they could not send response messages either due to technical issues or forgetfulness and no analysis of cost-effectiveness. Conclusion Chronic conditions require long-term care and patients can be active participants in their care plan to improve their health. SMS interventions have been used successfully to encourage patient self-management, patient awareness, and treatment adherence in HIV, COPD, and DM. The SMS intervention has been applied in various research designs and disease conditions. Patients’ adherence and clinical conditions changed from pre- to post-intervention; however, more research is needed to elucidate the effect of SMS interventions in different countries, socioeconomic status and age groups, and chronic diseases.