An Automated Text Messaging System (Tonsil-Text-To-Me) to Improve Tonsillectomy Perioperative Experience: Exploratory Qualitative Usability and Feasibility Study

Abstract

Background: Inexperience and forgetting perioperative care instruction are significant drivers of parental stress during pediatric tonsillectomy care. With the widespread use of mobile technology, parents now desire a system that provides them with information that is timely, accessible, and comprehensive. Tonsil-Text-To-Me (TTTM) is a text messaging system that sends out automated and timed texts to parents of children who are undergoing tonsillectomy. Objective: The objective of this study was to pilot-test TTTM to assess for feasibility and usability and collect suggestions for system improvements desired by parents from a pediatric otolaryngology text message service.