TEXT ME Study Reveals How Apps Can Help Manage Cardiovascular Disease

TEXT ME, a study using text messages to improve management of cardiovascular disease, offered examples of how mobile applications can be used to manage health conditions.
According to Med City News:

An editorial citing the study noted that the process for clinical validation could use some improvement and offered some recommendations.
For those unfamiliar with it, the TEXT ME randomized clinical trial (short for Tobacco, Exercise and Diet Messages) sent text messages with advice, motivation and information on diet, physical activity and smoking cessation to roughly half of the 710 participants with cardiovascular disease over a six-month period. The rest did not receive them. It then compared LDL levels, blood pressure and other relevant data. Those who received the text messages showed statistically significant, albeit modest, improvement compared with those who did not.
Drs. Zubin Eapen and Eric Peterson of Duke Clinical Research Institute, who wrote the editorial, liked the way the investigators worked with patients (as well as academics and clinicians) both in structuring the messages sent to participants. They were part of the collaboration process for developing the messages used in the study. The study also tracked patients’ use of text messages and satisfaction with them. Their insights could easily apply to the broader clinical validation programs underway at companies and institutions.

Click here to read the full article on Med City News.