Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28795584›Full record

Trial reportClinical trials (London, England)2018

Use of an android phone application for automated text messages in international settings: A case study in an HIV clinical trial in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Leah S Forman, Gregory J Patts, Sharon M Coleman, Elena Blokhina, John Lu, Tatiana Yaroslavtseva, Natalia Gnatienko, Evgeny Krupitsky, Jeffrey H Samet, Christine E Chaisson

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Clinical trials (London, England), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 23% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Leah S Forman1 Data Coordinating Center, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Gregory J Patts1 Data Coordinating Center, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Sharon M Coleman1 Data Coordinating Center, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Elena Blokhina2 Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of Addictions, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
John Lu1 Data Coordinating Center, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Tatiana Yaroslavtseva2 Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of Addictions, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Natalia Gnatienko3 Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Evgeny Krupitsky2 Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of Addictions, Pavlov First Saint Petersburg State Medical University, St. Petersburg, Russia.
Jeffrey H Samet3 Department of Medicine, Section of General Internal Medicine, Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Christine E Chaisson1 Data Coordinating Center, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
Boston University · USFirst Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg · RUBoston Medical Center · USSt.Petersburg V.M.Bekhterev Psychoneurological Research Institute · RU

Funding

URBAN ARCH 4/5 Russia Cohort-Targeting HIV-comorbidities with Pharmacotherapy to Reduce Alcohol and Tobacco Use in HIV-infected RussiansU01AA020780 · NIAAA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI FREIBERG, MATTHEW S, SAMET, JEFFREY H. · 2011 to 2021
$4.4M
URBAN ARCH (2/5) Biostatistics and Data Management Core (BDM)U24AA020779 · NIAAA · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · PI CHENG, DEBBIE M. · 2011 to 2020
$3.6M
URBAN ARCH (1/5) Administrative Coordinating Core (Admin Core)U24AA020778 · NIAAA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI SAMET, JEFFREY H. · 2011 to 2020
$3.5M
Zinc for HIV Disease among Alcohol Users -An RCT in the Russia ARCH CohortU01AA021989 · NIAAA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI FREIBERG, MATTHEW S, SAMET, JEFFREY H. · 2012 to 2016
$3.3M
NIAAA NIH HHS U01 AA020780NIAAA NIH HHS U01 AA021989NIAAA NIH HHS U24 AA020778NIAAA NIH HHS U24 AA020779
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

aimsReproducible outcomes in clinical trials depend on adherence to study protocol. Short message service (also known as text message) reminders have been shown to improve clinical trial adherence in the United States and elsewhere. However, due to systematic differences in mobile data plans, languages, and technology, these systems are not easily translated to international settings.

methodsTo gauge technical capabilities for international projects, we developed SMSMessenger, an automated Android application that uses a US server to send medication reminders to participants in a clinical trial in St. Petersburg, Russia (Zinc for HIV disease among alcohol users-a randomized controlled trial in the Russia Alcohol Research Collaboration on HIV/AIDS cohort). The application is downloaded once onto an Android study phone. When it is time for the text message reminders to be sent, study personnel access the application on a local phone, which in turn accesses the existing clinical trial database hosted on a US web server. The application retrieves a list of participants with the following information: phone number, whether a message should be received at that time, and the appropriate text of the message. The application is capable of storing multiple outgoing messages. With a few clicks, text messages are sent to study participants who can reply directly to the message. Study staff can check the local phone for incoming messages. The SMSMessenger application uses an existing clinical trial database and is able to receive real-time updates. All communications between the application and server are encrypted, and phone numbers are stored in a secure database behind a firewall. No sensitive data are stored on the phone, as outgoing messages are sent through the application and not by messaging features on the phone itself. Messages are sent simultaneously to study participants, which reduces the burden on local study staff. Costs and setup are minimal. The only local requirements are an Android phone and data plan.

conclusionThe SMSMessenger technology could be modified to be applied anywhere in the world, in any language, script, or alphabet, and for many different purposes. The novel application of this existing low-cost technology can improve the usefulness of text messaging in advancing the goals of international clinical trials.

Indexed as

Drug MonitoringInternationalityMobile ApplicationsReminder SystemsText MessagingAlcoholismCell PhoneComputer SecurityConfidentialityCosts and Cost AnalysisDouble-Blind MethodHIV InfectionsHumansResearch DesignRussiaUnited StatesZincautomated text messaginginternational settingsmedication remindersmobile health interventionSMSMessenger

Identifiers

PMID28795584
PMCPMC5794610
OpenAlexW2749962303

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.