While the results of this systematic review are promising , there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD .
BACKGROUND Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .
This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD .
Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aim ed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events .
Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines .
However , adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal .
In order to influence non-adherence , there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment , fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events , and adverse effects .
Mobile phone text messaging improves antihypertensive drug adherence in the community.
Antihypertensive drug adherence ( ADA ) is a mainstay in blood pressure control . Education through mobile phone short message system ( SMS ) text messaging could improve ADA . The authors conducted a r and omized study involving 314 patients with hypertension with < 6 months of antihypertensive treatment from the Preventive Health Program of 12 different primary care centers in Santiago , Chile . Patients were r and omly assigned to receive or not receive SMS related to ADA and healthy lifestyle .  Adherence was assessed by the self-reported four-item scale Morisky-Green-Levine question naire at baseline and after 6 months of follow-up , with four of four positive questions classified as good adherence . Group comparison for adherence was performed by means of a logistic regression model , adjusting by baseline adherence , age older than 60 years , and sex . A total of 163 patients were r and omized to receive and 151 to not receive SMS . After 6 months of follow-up , ADA in the non-SMS group decreased from 59.3 % to 51.4 % ( P=.1 ) . By contrast , adherence increased from 49 % to 62.3 % ( P=.01 ) in the SMS group . Text messaging intervention  improved ADA ( risk ratio , 1.3 ; 95 % confidence interval , 1.0 - 1.6 [ P<.05 ] ) . At 6-month follow-up , text messaging result ed in an increase in reporting ADA in this hypertensive Latino population . This approach could become an effective tool to overcome poor medication adherence in the community
While the results of this systematic review are promising , there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of text message-based interventions for adherence to medications for secondary prevention of CVD .
BACKGROUND Worldwide at least 100 million people are thought to have prevalent cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) .
This population has a five times greater chance of suffering a recurrent cardiovascular event than people without known CVD .
Secondary CVD prevention is defined as action aim ed to reduce the probability of recurrence of such events .
Drug interventions have been shown to be cost-effective in reducing this risk and are recommended in international guidelines .
However , adherence to recommended treatments remains sub-optimal .
In order to influence non-adherence , there is a need to develop scalable and cost-effective behaviour-change interventions .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of mobile phone text messaging in patients with established arterial occlusive events on adherence to treatment , fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events , and adverse effects .