Effectiveness of SMS appointment reminder and defaulter tracking system in Lagos State, Nigeria
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN13178993 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN13178993 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Protocol serial number | LSMH/4168/VII |
| Sponsor | Japan International Cooperation Agency |
| Funder | Japan International Cooperation Agency |
- Submission date
- 03/05/2020
- Registration date
- 19/05/2020
- Last edited
- 02/12/2020
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Most of the essential health services are not one-time services but required regular follow-ups. These follow-ups have been a major issue affecting the coverages of some health services in the Lagos State, Nigeria.
The Primary Health Care Board (PHCB) under the auspices of Lagos State Ministry of Health collaborated with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) developed an SMS reminder system to the clients who are required to return health facility and to complete a full course of service/regimen.
The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of short text reminder messages (SMSs) to clients through mobile technology in their continuous return for ANC, FP and child immunization including routine Vitamin A supplementation.
Who can participate?
All clients who have appointments at the 33 PHCs in Lagos state for antenatal care (ANC), family planning, and child immunization including routine Vitamin A supplementation during the study period.
What does the study involve?
All clients who visited the 33 PHCs for antenatal care (ANC), family planning, and child immunization including routine Vitamin A supplementation are registered for the study with verbal consent. They are randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The intervention group receives a short text reminder message two days before their appointment while the control group do not receive an SMS reminder message. If clients in the intervention group do not return to the health facility, they receive another reminder message seven days after the appointment day. As part of the standard of care, nurses will inform the clients in both intervention and control groups of the next appointment dates.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The benefit of participating in this study is receiving the SMS reminder on their appointments only. There is no risk of participating in this study since as part of the standard of care, nurses informed the clients in both intervention and control groups of the next appointment dates at the service provision
Where is the study run from?
Lagos State (Nigeria)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2018 to November 2019
Who is funding the study?
Japan International Cooperation Agency
Who is the main contact?
Dr Hirotsugu Aiga, hirotsugu.aiga@nagasaki-u.ac.jp
Mr Yoshito Kawakatsu, yoshitok@uw.edu
Contact information
Scientific
1-12-4
Sakamoto
Nagasaki
852-8523
Japan
| Phone | +81-95-819-7949 |
|---|---|
| hirotsugu.aiga@nagasaki-u.ac.jp |
Scientific
1959 NE Pacific Street
Seattle, WA
98195
United States of America
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-1853-533X |
|---|---|
| Phone | +1-206-221-4970 |
| yoshitok@uw.edu |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomized controlled trial |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Effectiveness of SMS appointment reminder and defaulter tracking system in Lagos State, Nigeria: A randomized controlled trial |
| Study objectives | SMS reminder would improve health facility attendance by reminding the appointments of vaccines, antenatal care, and family planning |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 13/12/2016, Health Research and Ethics Committee at Lagos State University Teaching hospital (1-5, OBA AKINJOBI ROAD, IKEJA, LAGOS, P.M.B. 21005, NIgeria; +234 - 1 - 471-0670; dcst@lasuth.org), ref: LREC /06/10/766 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Attendance at appointments at local health centre for vaccination, ANC, and family planning |
| Intervention | A client in the intervention group received a short text reminder message two days before the scheduled appointment day (appointment reminder) while a client with an appointment under the control group (service as usual) did not receive an SMS reminder message. Clients in the intervention group who did not show up for their appointments received another reminder message seven days after the appointment day (patient-tracking message). As part of the standard of care, nurses informed the clients in both intervention and control groups of the next appointment dates. The duration of the intervention was 6 months, with 4 months of follow up. Randomization of participants was performed daily for all appointments two days hence, with groups matched in terms of the dates that the appointments were created. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
The return status of the appointments for the three health services (i.e. ANC, FP, and child immunization including routine Vitamin A supplementation) measured for the duration of the study using patient records. If a client returns to a health facility for her appointment, they were categorized as returned cases, while if do not return, they were categorized as a defaulter |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
Timing of receiving vaccination, ANC and FP measured for the duration of the study using patient records |
| Completion date | 30/11/2019 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 10702 |
| Total final enrolment | 9368 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. All clients who visited the 33 PHCs in Lagos state for antenatal care (ANC), family planning, and child immunization including routine Vitamin A supplementation |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Clients with the appointments of other services (e.g., HIV/TB care) 2. Clients without a mobile phone or accessible phone number |
| Date of first enrolment | 14/01/2019 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/06/2019 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Nigeria
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Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not expected to be made available due to the ownership of the data. The dataset used in this study belongs to the Lagos State Ministry of Health. Without permission from the Ministry, we cannot share raw data with anybody. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 29/09/2020 | 02/12/2020 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
02/12/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
18/05/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by Lagos State Government.
