CONTEXT The expansion and adoption of new methods of communication provide new opportunities for delivering health behavior change interventions. This paper reviews the current research examining mobile telephone short-message service (SMS) for delivering health behavior change interventions via text messages. This service has wide population reach, can be individually tailored, and allows inst...

BACKGROUND This paper draws on data from five English primary care trust (PCT) case studies which formed part of a larger research project that explored the roles and relationships of clinical managers and their colleagues in periods of change within different healthcare organisations. AIMS This article uses empirical data to further our understanding of how primary care organisations can suc...

In the fields of health and development, donors channel multiple resources into the design of new practices and technologies, as well as small-scale programmes to test them. But successful practices are rarely scaled up to the level where they beneficially impact large, impoverished populations. An effective process for change is to use the experiences of new practices gained at the programme l...

The purpose of this study was to determine if residents (n = 26) living in an Iowa long-term care facility had differences in food intake at their noon meal and body weight when served traditional tray meal service for 10 weeks compared to being served restaurant-style meal service for 10 weeks. The study also evaluated the facility’s raw food costs of the two meal service styles. Mean meal int...

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of two methods of follow-up: Short Message Service (SMS) versus telephone call on glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This semi-experimental study consisted of 77 patients with type 2 diabetes who were randomly assigned into two groups: telephone follow-up (n = 39) and Short Message Service ...

When food inspectors pay educational visits to food service establishments, the goal is prevention. For that reason, such visits form a valuable component in local-government programs to improve food safety. The efficacy of educational programs can be measurably improved by the application of behavioral-change theory. The study reported here was conducted with the cooperation of Key Arena Sport...

BACKGROUND Palliative care services are increasingly identifying areas for improvement, then trying to create appropriate changes in response. Nurses in particular are often expected to take leading roles in quality improvement (QI) but are not necessarily trained or supported in these processes. METHODS A framework approach to change was developed to guide services through a change cycle and...