Supporting people with type 2 diabetes in effective use of their medicine through mobile health technology integrated with clinical care (SuMMiT-D Feasibility): a randomised feasibility trial protocol

Supporting people with type 2 diabetes in effective use of their medicine through mobile health technology integrated with clinical care (SuMMiT-D pilot): results of a feasibility randomised trial

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this 6-month intervention pilot feasibility randomised trial was to test sending brief messages using mobile phones to promote self-management through taking medication as prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes. This was to inform the design and conduct of a future large-scale United Kingdom-based clinical trial and establish the feasibility of recruitment, the technology used, follow-up, and data collection.

METHODS

A multicentre individually randomised, controlled parallel group trial in primary care, recruiting adults (≥ 35 years) with type 2 diabetes in England. Consenting participants were randomly allocated to receive short message system text messages up to four times a week, or usual care, for a period of 6 months; messages contained behavioural change techniques targeting medication use. The primary outcome was the rate of recruitment to randomisation of participants to the trial with a planned rate of 22 participants randomised per month. The study also aimed to establish the feasibility of follow-up at 6 months, with an aim of retaining more than 80% of participants. Data, including patient-reported measures, were collected at baseline and the end of the 6-month follow-up period, and a notes review was completed at 24 months.

RESULTS

The trial took place between 26 November 2018 and 30 September 2019. In total 209 participants were randomly allocated to intervention (n = 103) or usual care (n = 106). The maximum rate of monthly recruitment to the trial was 60-80 participants per month. In total, 12,734 messages were sent to participants. Of these messages, 47 were identified as having failed to be sent by the service provider. Participants sent 2,864 messages to the automated messaging system. Baseline data from medical records were available for > 90% of participants with the exception of cholesterol (78.9%). At 6 months, a further HbA1c measurement was reported for 67% of participants. In total medical record data were available at 6 months for 207 (99.0%) of participants and completed self-report data were available for 177 (84.7%) of participants.

CONCLUSION

The feasibility of a large-scale randomised evaluation of brief message intervention for people with type 2 diabetes appears to be high using this efficient design. Failure rate of sending messages is low, rapid recruitment was achieved among people with type 2 diabetes, clinical data is available on participants from routine medical records and self-report of economic measures was acceptable.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISCTRN ISRCTN13404264. Registered on 10 October 2018.

Implementing a text message-based intervention to support type 2 diabetes medication adherence in primary care: a qualitative study with general practice staff

BACKGROUND

The Support through Mobile Messaging and digital health Technology for Diabetes (SuMMiT-D) project has developed, and is evaluating, a mobile phone-based intervention delivering brief messages targeting identified behaviour change techniques promoting medication use to people with type 2 diabetes in general practice. The present study aimed to inform refinement and future implementation of the SuMMiT-D intervention by investigating general practice staff perceptions of how a text message-based intervention to support medication adherence should be implemented within current and future diabetes care.

METHODS

Seven focus groups and five interviews were conducted with 46 general practice staff (including GPs, nurses, healthcare assistants, receptionists and linked pharmacists) with a potential role in the implementation of a text message-based intervention for people with type 2 diabetes. Interviews and focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Five themes were developed. One theme 'The potential of technology as a patient ally' described a need for diabetes support and the potential of technology to support medication use. Two themes outlined challenges to implementation, 'Limited resources and assigning responsibility' and 'Treating the patient; more than diabetes medication adherence'. The final two themes described recommendations to support implementation, 'Selling the intervention: what do general practice staff need to see?' and 'Fitting the mould; complementing current service delivery'.

CONCLUSIONS

Staff see the potential for a text message-based support intervention to address unmet needs and to enhance care for people with diabetes. Digital interventions, such as SuMMiT-D, need to be compatible with existing systems, demonstrate measurable benefits, be incentivised and be quick and easy for staff to engage with. Interventions also need to be perceived to address general practice priorities, such as taking a holistic approach to care and having multi-cultural reach and relevance. Findings from this study are being combined with parallel work with people with type 2 diabetes to ensure stakeholder views inform further refinement and implementation of the SuMMiT-D intervention.

Development and evaluation of DiabeText, a personalized mHealth intervention to support medication adherence and lifestyle change behaviour in patients with type 2 diabetes in Spain: A mixed-methods phase II pragmatic randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Despite the increasing interest in text-messaging interventions to support healthcare delivery, the available evidence about their effectiveness is still limited.

OBJECTIVES

1) to develop DiabeText, an intervention delivering automated, tailored brief text messages to support diabetes self-management; 2) to explore the potential impact of DiabeText on self-management behavior and glycaemic control, and; 3) to examine the feasibility of conducting a future phase III randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of DiabeText.

METHODS

3-month, two-arm, randomized feasibility trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04738591) with patients with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c > 8%). Participants were allocated to the control (usual care) or DiabeText group (usual care + five text messages per week). Outcomes were: recruitment rate; follow-up rate, missing data; medication adherence; adherence to Mediterranean diet; physical activity; and HbA1c. In addition, after delivering the intervention, we conducted a qualitative study involving 14 semi-structured interviews with participants allocated to the DiabeText group, to understand their views about the intervention.

RESULTS

From 444 screened people, we recruited 207 participants (recruitment rate = 47%), of which 179 completed the post-intervention interview (follow-up rate = 86%). We sent 7,355 SMS during the intervention period, of which 99% successfully reached the participants. At post-intervention, DiabeText was associated with non-statistically significant (p > 0.05) improvements in adherence to medication (OR = 2.0; 95%CI 1.0 to 4.2), Mediterranean diet (1.7; 0.9 to 3.2), and physical activity (1.7; 0.9 to 3.1). No between-group differences were observed in mean HbA1c (p = 0.670). The qualitative study indicated that participants perceived DiabeText as a helpful resource because it increased their awareness about the importance of adequate self-management and the sense of being cared for.

CONCLUSIONS

DiabeText is the first system in Spain to integrate patient-generated and routinely collected clinical data to deliver tailored text messages to support diabetes self-management. More robust trials are needed to determine its effectiveness and cost-efficacy.

Effects of Using a Text Message Intervention on Psychological Constructs and the Association Between Changes to Psychological Constructs and Medication Adherence in People With Type 2 Diabetes: Results From a Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND

Poor adherence to oral medications is common in people with type 2 diabetes and can lead to an increased chance of health complications. Text messages may provide an effective delivery method for an intervention; however, thus far, the majority of these interventions do not specify either a theoretical basis or propose specific mechanisms of action. This makes it hard to determine how and whether an intervention is having an effect. The text messages included in the current intervention have been developed to deliver specific behavior change techniques. These techniques are the "active ingredients" of the intervention and were selected to target psychological constructs identified as predictors of medication adherence.

OBJECTIVE

There are 2 aims of this study: (1) to assess whether a text message intervention with specified behavior change techniques can change the constructs that predict medication adherence behaviors in people with type 2 diabetes and (2) to assess whether changes to psychological constructs are associated with changes in self-reported medication adherence.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized controlled, 6-month feasibility trial. Adults prescribed oral medication for type 2 diabetes (N=209) were recruited from general practice and randomized to either receive a text message-based intervention or care as usual. Data were analyzed with repeated measures analysis of covariance and Spearman rho correlation coefficients.

RESULTS

For 8 of the 14 constructs that were measured, a significant time-by-condition interaction was found: necessity beliefs, intention, maintenance self-efficacy, recovery self-efficacy, action control, prompts and cues, social support, and satisfaction with experienced consequences all increased in the intervention group compared to the control group. Changes in action self-efficacy, intention, automaticity, maintenance self-efficacy, and satisfaction with experienced consequences were positively associated with changes in self-reported medication adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

A relatively low-cost, scalable, text message-only intervention targeting medication adherence using behavior change techniques can influence psychological constructs that predict adherence. Not only do these constructs predict self-reported medication adherence, but changes in these constructs are correlated with changes in self-reported medication adherence. These findings support the promise of text message-based interventions for medication adherence in this population and suggest likely mechanisms of action.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN13404264; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13404264.

Supporting People With Type 2 Diabetes in the Effective Use of Their Medicine Through Mobile Health Technology Integrated With Clinical Care to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk: Protocol for an Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes is a common lifelong condition that affects over 400 million people worldwide. The use of effective medications and active self-management can reduce the risk of serious complications. However, people often have concerns when starting new medications and face difficulties in taking their medications regularly. Support provided by brief messages delivered through mobile phone-based SMS text messages can be effective in some long-term conditions. We have identified promising behavior change techniques (BCTs) to promote medication adherence in this population via a systematic review and developed SMS text messages that target these BCTs. Feasibility work has shown that these messages have fidelity to intended BCTs, are acceptable to patients, and are successful in changing the intended determinants of medication adherence. We now plan to test this intervention on a larger scale in a clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this trial is to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this intervention for reducing cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes by comparing it with usual care.

METHODS

The trial will be a 12-month, multicenter, individually randomized controlled trial in primary care and will recruit adults (aged ≥35 years) with type 2 diabetes in England. Consenting participants will be randomized to receive short SMS text messages intended to affect a change in medication adherence 3 to 4 times per week in addition to usual care. The aim is to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention when it is added to usual care. The primary clinical outcome will be a composite cardiovascular risk measure. Data including patient-reported measures will be collected at baseline, at 13 and 26 weeks, and at the end of the 12-month follow-up period. With 958 participants (479 in each group), the trial is powered at 92.5% to detect a 4-percentage point difference in cardiovascular risk. The analysis will follow a prespecified plan. A nested quantitative and qualitative process analysis will be used to examine the putative mechanisms of behavior change and wider contextual influences. A health economic analysis will be used to assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

RESULTS

The trial has completed the recruitment phase and is in the follow-up phase. The publication of results is anticipated in 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

This trial will provide evidence regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this intervention for people with type 2 diabetes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN15952379; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN15952379.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/32918.

Understanding acceptability in the context of text messages to encourage medication adherence in people with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Acceptability is recognised as a key concept in the development of health interventions, but there has been a lack of consensus about how acceptability should be conceptualised. The theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) provides a potential tool for understanding acceptability. It has been proposed that acceptability measured before use of an intervention (anticipated acceptability) may differ from measures taken during and after use (experienced acceptability), but thus far this distinction has not been tested for a specific intervention. This paper 1) directly compares ratings of anticipated and experienced acceptability of a text message-based intervention, 2) explores the applicability of the TFA in a technology-based intervention, and 3) uses these findings to inform suggestions for measuring acceptability over the lifespan of technology-based health interventions.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a quantitative online survey assessing anticipated acceptability of the proposed text messages (n = 59) and a 12-week proof-of-concept mixed methods study assessing experienced acceptability while receiving the text messages (n = 48). Both quantitative ratings by return text message, and qualitative data from participant interviews were collected during the proof-of-concept study.

RESULTS

The quantitative analysis showed anticipated and experienced acceptability were significantly positively correlated (r_s > .4). The qualitative analysis identified four of the seven constructs of the TFA as themes (burden, intervention coherence, affective attitude and perceived effectiveness). An additional two themes were identified as having an important impact on the TFA constructs (perceptions of appropriateness and participants' role). Three suggestions are given related to the importance of appropriateness, what may affect ratings of acceptability and what to consider when measuring acceptability.

CONCLUSIONS

The high correlation between anticipated and experienced acceptability was a surprising finding and could indicate that, in some cases, acceptability of an intervention can be gauged adequately from an anticipated acceptability study, prior to an expensive pilot or feasibility study. Directly exploring perceptions of appropriateness and understanding whether the acceptability described by participants is related to the intervention or the research - and is for themselves or others - is important in interpreting the results and using them to further develop interventions and predict future use.

System Architecture for "Support Through Mobile Messaging and Digital Health Technology for Diabetes" (SuMMiT-D): Design and Performance in Pilot and Randomized Controlled Feasibility Studies

Background

Diabetes is a highly prevalent long-term condition with high morbidity and mortality rates. People with diabetes commonly worry about their diabetes medicines and do not always take them regularly as prescribed. This can lead to poor diabetes control. The Support Through Mobile Messaging and Digital Health Technology for Diabetes (SuMMiT-D) study aims to deliver brief messages as tailored interventions to support people with type 2 diabetes in better use of their diabetes medicines and to improve treatment adherence and health outcomes.

Objective

This paper describes the overall architecture of a tailored intervention delivery system used in the pilot and randomized controlled feasibility studies of SuMMiT-D and reports its performance.

Methods

The SuMMiT-D system includes several platforms and resources to recruit participants and deliver messages as tailored interventions. Its core component is called the clinical system and is responsible for interacting with the participants by receiving and sending SMS text messages from and to them. The personalization and tailoring of brief messages for each participant is based on a list of built-in commands that they can use.

Results

For the pilot study, a total of 48 participants were recruited; they had a median age of 64 years (first quartile, third quartile [Q₁, Q₃: 54.5, 69]). For the feasibility study, a total of 209 participants were recruited and randomly assigned to either the control or intervention group; they had a median age of 65 years (Q₁, Q₃: 56, 71), with 41.1% (86/209) being female. The participants used the SuMMiT-D system for up to 6 months (26 weeks) and had a wide range of different interactions with the SuMMiT-D system while tailored interventions were being delivered. For both studies, we had low withdrawal rates: only 4.2% and 5.3% for the pilot and feasibility studies, respectively.

Conclusions

A system was developed to successfully deliver brief messages as tailored health interventions to more than 250 people with type 2 diabetes via SMS text messages. On the basis of the low withdrawal rates and positive feedback received, it can be inferred that the SuMMiT-D system is robust, user-friendly, useful, and positive for most participants. From the two studies, we found that online recruitment was more efficient than recruitment via postal mail; a regular SMS text reminder (eg, every 4 weeks) can potentially increase the participants’ interactions with the system.

Trial Registration

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN13404264; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN13404264