Clinical trial NCT03346616: Text4Peds: Short Message Service Evaluating Medical Student Education
Official title: Text4Peds: Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Medical Student Education
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Education, Medical, Undergraduate
SMS
Lead sponsor: St. Louis University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2017-11-17
Enrollment: 162
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 20
Maximum age (years): 50
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants were randomly assigned to a Texting Group or a Non-Texting Group using a random number generator. The texting group received a daily text message containing a board style multiple choice question. If the participant wanted immediate feedback, the message contained a link to a website containing the answer to the question along with an explanation, the source material, and a more complete clinical vignette. One hour after the initial text message was sent, a follow up "answer" text message was delivered. Text messages were sent 6 days per week (Monday through Saturday) at 2pm and 3pm. To minimize perceived impropriety, the non-texting group received access to the journal articles from which the content was derived, but did not receive any text messages or any of the synthesized material. The primary outcome was performance on the NBME Pediatric Subject Examination.
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: In this study, third year medical students on the pediatric clerkship will be randomized to receive either only written educational material (review journal articles) or written educational material plus daily text messages consisting of board style questions with online answers. The students' performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Pediatric Subject Evaluation will be compared between the two groups.

Detailed description: In the last decade, the use of smartphone and text messaging (SMS) has increased significantly; during this time, text messaging has become the primary means of communication in some instances. Despite the popularity, text messaging and smartphones have been rarely utilized in the context of medical education. Few studies have been performed examining the effect of text messaging as an adjunct to traditional medical education. A previous study with the Saint Louis University (SLU) Pediatric Residency program, showed the feasibility of using text messaging to deliver medical information to pediatric residents through the Text4Peds program.

This study aims to expand Text4Peds to third NBME Pediatric Subject Evaluation performance. The NBME Pediatric Subject Evaluation is a national, standardized pediatric knowledge based exam from the NBME taken by all medical students at the end of their pediatric clerkship.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Third year medical students on the Pediatric Clerkship at Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Exclusion Criteria:

* Third year medical students who did not have a mobile phone capable of receiving a short message service (SMS) text message

Primary outcomes:
measure: National Board of Medical Examiners Pediatric Subject Examination
timeFrame: Assessed at end of intervention (after 8 weeks)
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Saint Louis
country: United States
facility: St Louis University
state: Missouri
Study officials:
affiliation: St. Louis University
name: Christopher Brownsworth, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Gavali MY, Khismatrao DS, Gavali YV, Patil KB. Smartphone, the New Learning Aid amongst Medical Students. J Clin Diagn Res. 2017 May;11(5):JC05-JC08. doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2017/20948.9826. Epub 2017 May 1.
citation: Stockwell MS, Kharbanda EO, Martinez RA, Lara M, Vawdrey D, Natarajan K, Rickert VI. Text4Health: impact of text message reminder-recalls for pediatric and adolescent immunizations. Am J Public Health. 2012 Feb;102(2):e15-21. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300331. Epub 2011 Dec 15.
citation: Goodarzi M, Ebrahimzadeh I, Rabi A, Saedipoor B, Jafarabadi MA. Impact of distance education via mobile phone text messaging on knowledge, attitude, practice and self efficacy of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Iran. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2012 Aug 31;11(1):10. doi: 10.1186/2251-6581-11-10.
citation: Hall AK, Cole-Lewis H, Bernhardt JM. Mobile text messaging for health: a systematic review of reviews. Annu Rev Public Health. 2015 Mar 18;36:393-415. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122855.
citation: Sabin LL, Larson Williams A, Le BN, Herman AR, Viet Nguyen H, Albanese RR, Xiong W, Shobiye HO, Halim N, Tran LTN, McNabb M, Hoang H, Falconer A, Nguyen TTT, Gill CJ. Benefits and Limitations of Text Messages to Stimulate Higher Learning Among Community Providers: Participants' Views of an mHealth Intervention to Support Continuing Medical Education in Vietnam. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2017 Jun 27;5(2):261-273. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00348. Print 2017 Jun 27.
citation: Gill CJ, Le Ngoc B, Halim N, Nguyen Viet H, Larson Williams A, Nguyen Van T, McNabb M, Tran Thi Ngoc L, Falconer A, An Phan Ha H, Rohr J, Hoang H, Michiel J, Nguyen Thi Thanh T, Bird L, Pham Vu H, Yeshitla M, Ha Van N, Sabin L. The mCME Project: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an SMS-Based Continuing Medical Education Intervention for Improving Medical Knowledge among Vietnamese Community Based Physicians' Assistants. PLoS One. 2016 Nov 18;11(11):e0166293. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166293. eCollection 2016.
citation: Chen Y, Yang K, Jing T, Tian J, Shen X, Xie C, Ma B, Liu Y, Yao L, Cao X. Use of text messages to communicate clinical recommendations to health workers in rural China: a cluster-randomized trial. Bull World Health Organ. 2014 Jul 1;92(7):474-81. doi: 10.2471/BLT.13.127076. Epub 2014 Mar 25.
citation: Gurol-Urganci I, de Jongh T, Vodopivec-Jamsek V, Atun R, Car J. Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Dec 5;2013(12):CD007458. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007458.pub3.
citation: Mount HR, Zakrajsek T, Huffman M, Deffenbacher B, Gallagher K, Skinker B, Rivard G, Benson S, Dancel R, Buckman F, Hayes M, Jackson J, Viera AJ. Text messaging to improve resident knowledge: a randomized controlled trial. Fam Med. 2015 Jan;47(1):37-42.
citation: Draper L, Kuklinski C, Ladley A, Adamson G, Broom M. Texting preferences in a Paediatric residency. Clin Teach. 2017 Dec;14(6):401-406. doi: 10.1111/tct.12590. Epub 2017 Jan 12.
citation: Broom MA, Adamson GT, Draper LR. Text messaging in medical education. Pediatrics. 2014 Mar;133(3):e491-3. doi: 10.1542/peds.2013-1529. Epub 2014 Feb 17. No abstract available.