Duty to Recontact
Conditions
Keywords
Follow Up, Text Messaging
Brief summary
To compare the effectiveness of text message versus voice call as a method of contact for providing results of diagnostic tests and assuring ongoing care from the pediatric emergency department.
Detailed description
The investigators plan to conduct a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare two means of contacting patients and their caregivers after discharge from the emergency department in order to provide results of tests: text messaging (intervention group) vs. telephone call (standard group).
Interventions
OTHERText Message
Patient contact attempted with text message.
Sponsors
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 18 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* patients under the age of 18 who have had diagnostic testing without finalized results prior to discharge from the emergency department
Exclusion criteria
* Admitted patients * Patients transferred to another facility * Patients with critical values as results * Do not have devices that can receive phone and text messages * Cannot read English or Spanish
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Number of phone call or text message attempts to successful contact with study participant | Within 2 weeks. | A study practitioner will make one attempt per business day to contact the patient or caregiver to provide test results and arrange follow-up care; the method will be determined by the study arm to which the participant is assigned. Participants in the standard practice control arm will receive a telephone call. If a call is not answered, a voice message will be left instructing the patient/parent to call the Pediatric Follow-Up Office. Participants in the intervention arm will receive a text message using the same script. A successful contact will be recorded when a practitioner speaks directly to the patient or parent/guardian via phone. |
Outcome results
None listed