 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Paris (AFP) Nov 9, 2010 Using mobile-phone text messages to remind HIV patients to take their dose of life-saving medications can give a major boost to drug adherence, according to an innovative trial in Kenya unveiled on Tuesday. In the "WelTel Kenya1" study, three clinics recruited 538 patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). They either received the weekly SMS message on their mobile phone in addition to a standard course of antiretroviral drugs or were given standard care alone. The text recipients typically received the discreet message "Mambo?", which is Kiswahili for "How are you?" They were instructed to reply "Sawa" ("fine") or "Shida" ("problem") within 48 hours. Those who said they had a problem or who failed to respond to the prompt within two days were then called by a nurse to find out what was wrong. In the SMS group, the number of patients who achieved 100-percent adherence to their drug regimen was 12 percent higher than in the non-text group. In addition, the numbers who were able to achieve suppression of HIV to below detectable levels in their blood -- a key benchmark of success -- was nine percent higher in the SMS group than in the standard-care group. The technique was also cost-effective because it needed no additional equipment and little human intervention. Each SMS cost only around five US cents, and the nurses who made the calls were able to send off the messages in computerised batches, rather than individually. Only 3.3 percent of the prompts required a follow-up. As a result, one nurse could potentially manage 1,000 patients by SMS, and expect to make a follow-up call to only 33 patients per week. On cost grounds, the SMS system could be a sure-fire winner compared to personal visits by a nurse, the researchers say. It could be less expensive just measured on travel costs alone. The approach could well work in other cash-strapped countries which are fighting to get HIV patients adhere to antiretrovirals, but are also seeing an explosion in the use of mobile phones, the study suggests. AIDS drugs often carry unpleasant or toxic side effects and -- in the absence of a cure -- have to be followed for the rest of one's life. The study, led by Richard Lester of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, western Canada, is published online by The Lancet.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola
Congo polio epidemic kills 78: authoritiesBrazzaville (AFP) Nov 9, 2010 A polio epidemic in southern Congo has killed 78 people since early October authorities said Tuesday, more than a decade after the disease was considered to have been eradicated here. The World Health Organisation (WHO) partly attributed the outbreak in the central African country which has not registered a case since 2000 to Congo's poor health and hygiene infrastructure. "We have count ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
