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Use of a real-time text message alert to improve re-engagement for lost-to-care people living with HIV/AIDS
Methods: We used real-time text message alerts linked to electronic medical record (EMR) registration events to help re-engage lost-to-care PLWHA. Our query interfaced with the Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) EMR to identify PLWHA receiving primary care at the CORE Center, CCHHS’s ambulatory HIV clinic. When a CORE patient with no primary care visits in ≥ 7 months registered at any non-CORE CCHHS site, our system sent a real-time text to our project coordinator who contacted the patient, in person during the alert-triggering visit when possible, to schedule follow-up. We report alert volume, and 3-month post-alert primary care follow-up rates.
Results: During 6 months of observation 188 patients triggered 362 alerts; 67% of patients were male; 78% African-American vs. 22% White/other; 12% identified as Hispanic; mean age was 44. Sixty percent of patients triggering alerts returned for primary care visits within 3 months. Alerts resulting in face-to-face vs. phone contact led to 3-month follow-up for 75% vs. 28% of the patients (p = 0.0015).
Conclusions: Real-time text alerts can facilitate re-engagement for lost-to-care PLWHA. We noted better post-alert follow-up when alerts led to in person vs. phone contact. This use of health information technology to facilitate re-engagement of lost-to-care PLWH may represent a relatively low-cost and reproducible intervention warranting further evaluation.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionCommunication and informatics
Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate how real-time text alerts linked to non-patient centered medical home visit registration events within a large, urban, safety-net health system can be used to improve re-engagement for lost-to-care people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
Explain how health information technology can leverage patient navigation to improve re-engagement of lost-to-care PLWHA.
Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, Technology
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have years of experiences conducting research in the realm of HIV. As project coordinator for the work presented, I performed the day-to-day work presented in abstract, collected the data, summarized the data and assisted in writing the abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.