A Taxonomic Integrative Review of Short Message Service (SMS) Methodology

Abstract

Background: To acquire self-management skills that affect clinical outcomes, collaboration and communication with one’s health care team is essential, yet many health care systems are not designed adequately to be responsive to a patient’s efforts to self-manage. This review synthesizes the intervention methodology of current studies facilitating the efforts of health care providers who wish to design, develop, and implement evidence-based SMS programs for patients with diabetes, focusing on clinical outcomes of A1C values, medication adherence rates, and participant satisfaction. Methods: This integrative review was conducted using an integrative taxonomic analysis approach. This approach involves creating a classification system with domains or characteristics, defining the relationships between those domains, and creating a foundation for new theories or constructs. Results: Synthesis of the evidence included in this integrated review suggests the best design for a SMS diabetes management program aimed at improving A1C levels, medication adherence rates, and participant satisfaction is an intervention providing weekly SMS education, with 2-way message direction, that is 3 months in length. Conclusions: The studies in this review have demonstrated that SMS interventions can be an important part of a viable and effective program in the effort to better manage adults with type 2 diabetes.