Can mobile phone multimedia messages and text messages improve clinic attendance for Aboriginal children with chronic otitis media? A randomised controlled trial. (25th February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Phillips, James H; Wigger, Christine; Beissbarth, Jemima; McCallum, Gabrielle B; Leach, Amanda; Morris, Peter S
• Is Part Of: Journal of paediatrics and child health. Volume 50:Number 5(2014:May)
• Page Start: 362
• Page End: 367
• Publication Date: 2014-02-25
• Subjects: Children -- Health and hygiene -- Periodicals; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; 618.92
• DOI: 10.1111/jpc.12496
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1034-4810

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="jpc12496-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Aim</title> <p>Does phone multimedia messages (MMS) to families of Indigenous children with tympanic membrane perforation (TMP): (i) increase clinic attendance; (ii) improve ear health; and (iii) provide a culturally appropriate method of health promotion?</p> </sec> <sec id="jpc12496-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>Fifty‐three Australian Aboriginal children with a TMP living in remote community households with a mobile phone were randomised into intervention (<italic>n</italic> = 30) and control (<italic>n</italic> = 23) groups. MMS health messages in local languages were sent to the intervention group over 6 weeks.</p> </sec> <sec id="jpc12496-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Primary outcome: there was no significant difference in clinic attendance, with 1.3 clinic visits per child in both groups (mean difference −0.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) −1.1, 0.9; <italic>P</italic> = 0.9).</p> <p>Secondary outcomes: (i) there was no significant change in healed perforation (risk difference 6%; 95% CI −10, 20; <italic>P</italic> = 0.6), middle ear discharge (risk difference −1%; 95% CI −30, 30; <italic>P</italic> = 1.0) or perforation size (mean difference 3%; 95% CI −11, 17; <italic>P</italic> = 0.7) between the groups; (ii) 84% (95% CI 60, 90) in the control and 70% (95% CI 50, 80) in the intervention group were happy to receive MMS health messages in the future. The difference was not significant (risk difference −14%; 95% CI −37, 8; <italic>P</italic> = 0.3).</p> </sec> <sec id="jpc12496-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Although there was no improvement in clinic attendance or ear health, this randomised controlled trial of MMS in Indigenous languages demonstrated that MMS is a culturally appropriate form of health promotion. Mobile phones may enhance management of chronic disease in remote and disadvantaged populations.</p> </sec> </abstract>