A Penn study found that the use of automated texting to patients after hospitalization reduces the risk of rehospitalization and the use of acute care resources.
The JAMA Network Open study conducted by the Perelman School of Medicine observed that automatic texts sent to a post-hospitalized patient by their primary care offices significantly reduced the patient’s chances of needing further care.
The cohort study, which was conducted from Jan. 27 to Aug. 27, 2021, used a difference-in-differences approach at two primary care practices in Philadelphia in which the interventional practice's patients received automated text messages on a tapering schedule for up to 30 days after their discharge.
To mitigate selection bias, researchers used an intention-to-treat approach in their analyses. They calculated a 55% reduction in the chance that the patient would have to stay at the hospital again within the next 30 days and a 41% decline in the possibility that they would need acute care of any kind within the next month. Patients were also 33% less likely to require the emergency department at all.
The study’s first author, Eric Bressman, is a fellow in the National Clinical Scholars Program at Penn.
“In a fragmented health care landscape, relatively simple applications of technology can help patients feel more connected to their primary care practice,” Bressman told Penn Today.
Bressman added that this connection is especially important as patients are recovering from serious illnesses.
“It reminds them that they have a medical home to which they can turn for support,” he said.
Anna U. Morgan, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Penn and senior author of this study, has had experience with automated texting in the field of medicine prior to the study. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Morgan was the medical director of COVID Watch, a program that utilized automated texting daily to check whether a patient’s symptoms were worsening.
“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that connecting with patients through text messaging can help patients achieve better health outcomes and even save lives,” Morgan told Penn Medicine News.
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