The Use of SMS Text Messaging to Improve Glycemic Control, Diabetes Self-Management, and Patient Satisfaction

The prevalence of diabetes in the United States continues to grow at an alarming rate. Nonadherence to diabetes self-management leads to morbidity and mortality. Short message service (SMS) text messaging is an effective method for delivering support to increase patient engagement with diabetes self-care management. This quality improvement project evaluated the effectiveness of a unidirectional SMS text messaging intervention to improve glycemia targets in adult patients with diabetes in the primary care setting. Results showed significant improvements in glycemic control (ie, decrease in A1C of 1.04%; P = 0.05). The SMS text messaging intervention effectively supports this modality in providing ongoing motivation and support patients with diabetes.