Blast SMS Text Messaging to Facilitate Enrollment for Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery in Zimbabwe

A majority (58.2%) of patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate in Sub-Saharan Africa cite "lack of awareness" as a major barrier to receiving surgical care. Mobile phones are expanding communication possibilities in health care in a burgeoning field referred to as mobile health. Low- an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inArchives of facial plastic surgery Vol. 20; no. 3; p. 254
Main Authors Shaye, David A, Muchemwa, Faith C, Gonga, Aleck, Tollefson, Travis T
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chicago American Medical Association 01.05.2018
Subjects
Birth defects
Cell phones
Cellular telephones
Cleft lip/palate
Health care
Mobile communication systems
Pediatrics
Plastic surgery
Short message service
Surgery
Text messaging
Zimbabwe
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Summary:A majority (58.2%) of patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate in Sub-Saharan Africa cite "lack of awareness" as a major barrier to receiving surgical care. Mobile phones are expanding communication possibilities in health care in a burgeoning field referred to as mobile health. Low- and middle-income countries have demonstrated rapid growth in mobile phone penetration rates over the last decade. This presents an opportunity to expand access to surgery for the 5 billion individuals who lack surgical access. Here, Shaye et al determine the effectiveness of a short message service text message sent via an automated system to multiple phone numbers to facilitate enrollment with a visiting surgical team in Zimbabwe and examine for a difference in age of presentation or distance traveled for potential cleft surgery.
ISSN:2168-6076
2168-6092