A study of women reminded by short message service for elective gynaecological surgery
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN66279562 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN66279562 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | N/A |
- Submission date
- 03/07/2011
- Registration date
- 29/07/2011
- Last edited
- 13/04/2017
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
The return of patients for surgery is not always optimal and this wastes valuable theatre time in a setting where this resource is in high demand by every gynaecological unit. Usually patients are booked into a gynaecological elective surgery book. The patients are expected to return on a particular date before the surgery. An appointment card is given to the patient as a reminder and the patient's outpatient card is kept in the hospital. The aim of this study is to find out whether reminding women using a text message increases the number of patients returning for gynaecological surgery.
Who can participate?
Women scheduled to undergo surgery with a waiting list of at least 1 month
What does the study involve?
Between 48-72 hours after joining the study, all participants are sent a text confirming that they have been booked for gynaecological surgery. Participants are randomly allocated 3-10 days after joining the study into intervention and control groups. The intervention group receive another reminder text 48-72 hours before the date of arrival to hospital for the scheduled surgery. Just after the expected day of return for surgery, the researchers find out if the participants in both groups have returned for surgery.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
This study is new and innovative since no study of this kind has been done on gynaecological patients, certainly not in South Africa. At the end of this study a higher number of patients are expected to return for gynaecological surgery. This would optimize all theatre time available. There are no risks involved for the patients. They receive the same level of care if decided not to take part or withdraw from the study.
Where is the study run from?
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (South Africa)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
May to December 2011
Who is funding the study?
Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (South Africa)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Johannes Potgieter
Contact information
Scientific
16 Whispering Leaves
Doncaster Rd
New Market
Alberton
Alberton
1449
South Africa
Study information
| Study design | Single-blind randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Hospital |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use the contact details to request a patient information sheet |
| Scientific title | A study of women reminded by short message service for elective gynaecological surgery: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial |
| Study objectives | The return of patients for surgery is not always optimal and this wastes valuable theatre time in a setting where this resource is in high demand by every gynaecological unit. By doing this study the researcher would like to point out a gap or show an innovation in improving patient compliance by using telemedicine in the middle income country. This proposed study is new and innovative since no study of this kind has been done on gynaecological patients, certainly not in South Africa. At the end of this study the researcher expects a better number of patients returning for gynaecological surgery. This would optimize all theatre time available. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical), University of Witwatersrand, 25/03/2011, ref: M110317 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Telemedicine for gynaecological surgery |
| Intervention | Women recruited for the study as above will be allocated study numbers after they have been recruited. These numbers will be randomised 3 to 10 days after recruitment to intervention and control groups in blocks of ten, to ensure a more-or-less equal spread of intervention and control participants. The random numbers will be generated by the researchers supervisor (who will not be involved with recruitment), and issued by telephone (or SMS) to the researcher for each study number. The researcher will then know which of the participants will receive a reminder SMS (intervention group). Between 48 and 72 hours before the expected date of arrival back to hospital for gynaecological surgery, intervention group participants will receive an SMS from the researcher reminding them of the return date for operation. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | At or just after the expected day of return for surgery for each participant (in both intervention and control groups), the researcher will find out from the gynaecological wards if the participant has returned for surgery |
| Secondary outcome measures | No secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 01/05/2011 |
| Completion date | 31/12/2011 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Female |
| Target number of participants | 50-60 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Women scheduled to undergo surgery with a waiting list of at least 1 month |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Women who do not have mobile phones and women who object to receiving SMS communications from the hospitals on their mobile phones 2. Age less than 18 years 3. Inability to comprehend English SMSs 4. Refusal to participate in the trial |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/05/2011 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/12/2011 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- South Africa
Study participating centre
South Africa
Sponsor information
Hospital/treatment centre
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Syndicate
R68 Old Potchefstroom Road
PO Bertsham
Johannesburg
2013
South Africa
| Website | http://www.chrishanibaragwanathhospital.co.za/ |
|---|---|
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02g48bh60 |
Funders
Funder type
Hospital/treatment centre
No information available
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan |
Editorial Notes
13/04/2017: Plain English summary added.
