Use of SMSs to Improve Attendance to Cervical Cancer Follow-up Screening

Marianne Andersen705 enrolled

Overview

This study evaluates the effect of the SMS intervention 'Connected2Care' on the attendance rate to cervical cancer screening follow-up appointments.

Connected2Care is a non-blinded, multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. Tanzanian Women testing positive to HR HPV at inclusion are randomly assigned in an allocation ratio of 1:1 to the SMS intervention or the control group (standard care). In a period of 10 months, the intervention group will receive 15 one-directional health educative text messages and SMS-reminders for their appointment. The total sample size will be 700 with 350 women in each study arm. Primary outcome is attendance rate for follow-up. Secondary objectives are cost-effectiveness measured through incremental ratios and knowledge of cervical cancer by a 16-item true/false scale questionnaire at baseline and follow-up.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SCREENING

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

705

Conditions

Cervical Cancer

Interventions

Connected to CareBEHAVIORAL

10 health educative SMSs' sent once a month 5 SMS-reminders for follow-up appointment sent on days -14, -7, -1 pre- follow-up appointment, and +1, +7 post follow-up appointment

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 25 YearsMax age: 60 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Informed consent * HPV positive * Age 25 - 60 years * Private mobile phone Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant on day of enrolment * Menstruating on day of enrolment * Hysterectomy * Diagnosed with cervical pre-cancer within past 12 months * Diagnosed with cervical cancer * Invalid mobile phone number * Unreachable when trying to convey HPV positive result

Locations (3)

Mawenzi Regional Referral Hospital

Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI)

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC)

Moshi, Tanzania

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Effect of SMS intervention on attendance rate to follow-up screening appointment

The effect measure of the intervention is the 14-month follow-up attendance rate for HPV positive women. The number of women in the intervention group that attend follow-up screening will be compared to the the number of women that attend follow-up screening in the control group.

Time frame: up to 14 months

Secondary Outcomes

Acceptability of text message intervention

6-point Likert scale (1: I do not like it at all - 6: I like it very much)

Time frame: Baseline + 2 years Follow-up (likert scale)

Acceptability of text message intervention

Qualitative interviews. Open-ended

Time frame: 2 years

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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