Efficacy of a Mobile Texting App (HepTalk) in Encouraging Patient Participation in Viral Hepatitis B Care: Development and Cohort Study

Abstract

Background Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality among Asian Americans in the United States. Despite the available resources, a majority of HBV-infected individuals are not able to access adequate health care owing to numerous barriers. Objective This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a newly developed mobile texting app (HepTalk) in overcoming these barriers and improving patient engagement and health care access among HBV-infected and nonimmune individuals. Methods HepTalk was employed for two-way communication between participants and patient navigators. A total of 82 Korean American participants who were either HBV infected or nonimmune to HBV, identified from a community hepatitis B campaign in New York, were enrolled in the study. After informed consent was obtained, both the frequency and themes of the text messages were evaluated. The effects of this communication on linkage to care at the end of the 6-month intervention period were analyzed and discussed. Results On average, patient navigators sent and received 14 and 8 messages per participant, respectively, during the 6-month period. The themes of the messages were similar to the following 4 categories: finding providers, scheduling appointments with providers, health education, and financial issues. Of the 82 participants, 78 were linked to care within 6 months (a 95% linkage rate). Conclusions HepTalk may be employed as an effective and strategic tool to facilitate communicative interaction between patients and patient navigators or health care providers, thereby improving patient engagement and health care access.

The effects of a mobile application for patient participation to improve patient safety

“…Patients who are more knowledgeable about patient safety are more likely to participate in patient safety activities and their care. 20 , 21 , 27 In addition, programmes and various other patient safety education resources such as leaflets, patient safety videos or patient‐safety campaigns targeting patients positively affect their attitudes towards and behaviours of patient participation. 10 , 27 , 45 In this study, we developed a mobile application to encourage health consumers' participation in patient safety activities by providing information on patient participation and actionable tools for participation in their care process, and evaluated the effects of the mobile application.…”

“…To broaden the range of patients who can participate in their care process to prevent errors and lead to better health outcomes, it is necessary to expand the research population to include health consumers who visit the hospital. Some studies have conducted interventions for patient participation and evaluated their effectiveness 10,20,21 . However, these studies were more focused on hospitalized patients 20 or patients with a certain disease 21 …”

“…Some studies have conducted interventions for patient participation and evaluated their effectiveness. 10 , 20 , 21 However, these studies were more focused on hospitalized patients 20 or patients with a certain disease. 21 …”

“… 10 , 20 , 21 However, these studies were more focused on hospitalized patients 20 or patients with a certain disease. 21 …”

Use of a Machine Learning Program to Correctly Triage Incoming Text Messaging Replies From a Cardiovascular Text–Based Secondary Prevention Program: Feasibility Study

“…However, one study showed limited maintenance of behavior changes once the SMS text messaging intervention ceased [17]. SMS text messaging programs have also been utilized effectively in many other medical settings including diabetes [18], maternal health [19], hepatitis B [20], and smoking cessation [21].…”