Objectives: Since forgetfulness is the major cause of missed appointments, reminder systems can be used prior to appointments. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different reminders [e-mails, social networks, telephone, and short message service (SMS)] in order to reduce missed appointments by orthodontic patients. Methods: Of a total of 751 active orthodontic patients, 379 we...

BACKGROUND Telephone or text-message reminders have been shown to significantly reduce the rate of missed appointments in different medical settings. Since text-messaging is less resource-demanding, we tested the hypothesis that text-message reminders would be as effective as telephone reminders in an academic primary care clinic. METHODS A randomized controlled non-inferiority trial was cond...

BACKGROUND Cell phone text messaging, via the Short Messaging Service (SMS), offers the promise of a highly portable, well-accepted, and inexpensive modality for engaging youth and young adults in the management of their diabetes. This pilot and feasibility study compared two-way SMS cell phone messaging with e-mail reminders that were directed at encouraging blood glucose (BG) monitoring. ME...

Methods Using existing well-accepted evidence-based national clinical guidelines, a multidisciplinary team created 16 specific reminders within 4 clinical categories: (1) diabetes care (eye exams, HbA1C and cholesterol studies, nursing education visits); (2) therapeutic recommendations (ACE-inhibitor (ACEI) use in diabetic hypertensives; aspirin, beta-blocker, and statin use in patients with co...

OBJECTIVE Little evidence exists on effective interventions to integrate HIV-care guidelines into practices within developing countries. This study tested the hypothesis that clinical summaries with computer-generated reminders could improve clinicians' compliance with CD4 testing guidelines in the resource-limited setting of sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN A prospective comparative study of two r...

People often fail to follow through on good intentions. While limited self-control is frequently the culprit, another cause is simply forgetting to enact intentions when opportunities arise. We introduce a novel, potent approach to facilitating follow-through: the reminders-through-association approach. This approach involves associating intentions (e.g., to mail a letter on your desk tomorrow)...

In this paper, we present initial outcomes from our multi-method study that explored the impact of reminders on effectiveness of information systems that aim to facilitate behaviour change. Our study explicitly focused on reminders as a key persuasive software feature that should be employed to support behaviour change. We designed a prototype aiming to encourage people to gradually reduce soda...

Actionable reminders (electronic reminders linked to computerized order entry) might improve care by facilitating direct ordering of recommended tests. The authors implemented four enhanced actionable reminders targeting performance of annual mammography, one-time bone-density screening, and diabetic testing. There was no difference in rates of appropriate testing between the four intervention ...

In concept and practice, clinical decision support (CDS) and performance measurement represent distinct approaches to organizational change, yet these two organizational processes are interrelated. We set out to better understand how the relationship between the two is perceived, as well as how they jointly influence clinical practice. To understand the use of CDS at benchmark institutions, we ...