Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme
Abstract Background Clinic non-attendance rates are high across the African continent. Emerging evidence suggests that phone-based reminder messages could make a small but important contribution to reducing non-attendance. We will use behavioural economics principles to develop an SMS and voice remi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Trials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06519-y |
| _version_ | 1818497266285019136 |
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| author | Luke N Allen Bakgaki Ratshaa David Macleod Nigel Bolster Matthew Burton Min Kim Andrew Bastawrous Ari Ho-Foster Hannah Chroston Oathokwa Nkomazana |
| author_facet | Luke N Allen Bakgaki Ratshaa David Macleod Nigel Bolster Matthew Burton Min Kim Andrew Bastawrous Ari Ho-Foster Hannah Chroston Oathokwa Nkomazana |
| author_sort | Luke N Allen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Clinic non-attendance rates are high across the African continent. Emerging evidence suggests that phone-based reminder messages could make a small but important contribution to reducing non-attendance. We will use behavioural economics principles to develop an SMS and voice reminder message to improve attendance rates in a school-based eye screening programme in Botswana. Methods We will test a new theory-informed SMS and voice reminder message in a national school-based eye screening programme in Botswana. The control will be the standard SMS message used to remind parents/guardians to bring their child for ophthalmic assessment. All messages will be sent twice. The primary outcome is attendance for ophthalmic assessment. We will use an automated adaptive approach, starting with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Discussion As far as we are aware, only one other study has used behavioural economics to inform the development of reminder messages to be deployed in an African healthcare setting. Our study will use an adaptive trial design, embedded in a national screening programme. Our approach can be used to trial other forms of reminder message in the future. Trial registration ISRCTN 96528723 . Registered on 5 January 2022. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T18:43:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fcad93fc68ba4a058bab634016b77d89 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1745-6215 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T18:43:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trials |
| spelling | doaj.art-fcad93fc68ba4a058bab634016b77d892022-12-22T01:37:35ZengBMCTrials1745-62152022-08-0123111410.1186/s13063-022-06519-yProtocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programmeLuke N Allen0Bakgaki Ratshaa1David Macleod2Nigel Bolster3Matthew Burton4Min Kim5Andrew Bastawrous6Ari Ho-Foster7Hannah Chroston8Oathokwa Nkomazana9LSHTMUniversity of BotswanaLSHTMLSHTMLSHTMLSHTMLSHTMUniversity of BotswanaLSHTMUniversity of BotswanaAbstract Background Clinic non-attendance rates are high across the African continent. Emerging evidence suggests that phone-based reminder messages could make a small but important contribution to reducing non-attendance. We will use behavioural economics principles to develop an SMS and voice reminder message to improve attendance rates in a school-based eye screening programme in Botswana. Methods We will test a new theory-informed SMS and voice reminder message in a national school-based eye screening programme in Botswana. The control will be the standard SMS message used to remind parents/guardians to bring their child for ophthalmic assessment. All messages will be sent twice. The primary outcome is attendance for ophthalmic assessment. We will use an automated adaptive approach, starting with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Discussion As far as we are aware, only one other study has used behavioural economics to inform the development of reminder messages to be deployed in an African healthcare setting. Our study will use an adaptive trial design, embedded in a national screening programme. Our approach can be used to trial other forms of reminder message in the future. Trial registration ISRCTN 96528723 . Registered on 5 January 2022.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06519-yBehavioural economicsReminder messagesmHealthHealth services researchAdaptive RCT |
| spellingShingle | Luke N Allen Bakgaki Ratshaa David Macleod Nigel Bolster Matthew Burton Min Kim Andrew Bastawrous Ari Ho-Foster Hannah Chroston Oathokwa Nkomazana Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme Trials Behavioural economics Reminder messages mHealth Health services research Adaptive RCT |
| title | Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme |
| title_full | Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme |
| title_fullStr | Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme |
| title_full_unstemmed | Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme |
| title_short | Protocol for an automated, pragmatic, embedded, adaptive randomised controlled trial: behavioural economics-informed mobile phone-based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a Botswanan school-based vision screening programme |
| title_sort | protocol for an automated pragmatic embedded adaptive randomised controlled trial behavioural economics informed mobile phone based reminder messages to improve clinic attendance in a botswanan school based vision screening programme |
| topic | Behavioural economics Reminder messages mHealth Health services research Adaptive RCT |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06519-y |
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