Outpatient antibiotics are frequently prescribed from the emergency department, and limited health literacy may impact compliance with recommended treatments. The investigators are looking to determine if patient preference for multimodality discharge instructions for outpatient antibiotic therapy varies by health literacy level, and if modality effected patient-reported antibiotic compliance and 72-hour antibiotic pick-up.
This is a prospective randomized trial that includes consenting patients discharged with outpatient antibiotics. Health literacy is assessed using a validated health literacy assessment, the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Patients are randomized to a discharge instruction modality: 1) standard of care, typed and verbal medication and case-specific instructions; 2) standard of care plus text messaged instructions sent to the patient's cell phone; or 3) standard of care plus voicemailed instructions sent to the patient's cell phone. Antibiotic pick-up is verified with the patient's pharmacy at 72 hours. Patients are called at 30 days to determine antibiotic compliance.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
2,874
A text message with instructions is sent to the patient
A voicemail with instructions is sent to the patient
Hennepin County Medical Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
72-hour antibiotic pickup
Whether or not the patient picked up their antibiotic prescription at the pharmacy
Time frame: 72 hours
Antibiotic compliance
If the patient completed the entire course of antibiotics
Time frame: 30 days
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