While some hospitals tout their smartphone apps, research shows that thousands of healthcare apps go practically unused or downright ignored. Meanwhile, a low-tech feature of cell phones — texting — continues to prove its worth in healthcare.
Tuesday, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, an arm of San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare, announced a text-based effort to engage recently discharged patients in hopes of avoiding hospital readmissions.
Sharp Rees-Stealy has begun enrolling patients in the Welcome Home program, offering coaching by text message to help these individuals stick to their post-discharge care plans. It’s based on Nashville, Tennessee-based vendor Agile Health‘s myAgileLife messaging platform.
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Program participants receive daily text messages that, according to Agile Health, help them follow discharge instructions and manage their health conditions. This includes medication management, coordination of follow-up care and ingraining healthy behaviors.
Patients can text back at any time with keywords such as “mood” to receive messages to overcome negative feelings or “motivate” for motivation toward a program goal.
“Texting allows our nurses to engage and support more patients over a longer period of time than does traditional outreach,” Janet Appel, director of population health management at Sharp Rees-Stealy, said in a statement. “It lets us have a sustained dialogue with patients to provide important guidance and tools to help them through the recovery process. It also allows us to be there as a trusted resource when and where they need it if they encounter setbacks along the way.”
Photo: Flickr user Amancay Maahs
