Trial results for a study evaluating a text messaging intervention to improve adherence to repeat colonoscopy in Colorectal Cancer patients were posted on 2025-08-20, showing that 96% of participants in the text message intervention group attended their scheduled colonoscopy appointment.
Background
Colorectal cancer is a common yet preventable condition, making increased screening a significant public health goal in gastroenterology. Text messaging offers a simple, cost-effective, and rapid method to communicate with patients. This approach has the potential to improve adherence to colonoscopy appointments and streamline the bowel preparation process. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a pilot bidirectional text messaging intervention designed to impact attendance for screening/surveillance colonoscopy and the quality of bowel preparation at an urban VA hospital.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 50 participants with Colorectal Cancer. The trial evaluated a bidirectional text messaging intervention compared to a no-intervention group. The intervention aimed to improve patient attendance for screening/surveillance colonoscopy and the quality of their bowel preparation.
Key results
The trial results presented key measurements for the text message intervention and no-intervention groups:
- For the outcome 'National Annie Colonoscopy Survey Score' in the Text Message Intervention group, the mean score was 29.56 with a Standard Deviation of 4.16 (Score on a scale).
- Regarding 'Percentage of Participants Who Attend Scheduled Colonoscopy Appointment':
- The Text Message Intervention group showed 96 Percentage of Participants.
- The No Intervention group showed 92 Percentage of Participants.
- For 'Percentage of Participants Who Had Adequate Bowel Preparation at Colonoscopy Appointment':
- The Text Message Intervention group showed 79 percentage of participants.
- The No Intervention group showed 91 percentage of participants.
What this means
The posted results suggest a mixed impact of the text messaging intervention for Colorectal Cancer screening. While the intervention appears to be effective in improving colonoscopy attendance, with 96 Percentage of Participants attending compared to 92 Percentage of Participants in the no-intervention group, it also correlated with a reduction in adequate bowel preparation quality. Only 79 percentage of participants in the text message intervention group had adequate bowel preparation, compared to 91 percentage of participants in the no-intervention group. These findings indicate that while text messaging can enhance appointment adherence, further refinement may be needed to ensure it does not inadvertently compromise the quality of bowel preparation, which is crucial for effective colonoscopy.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT06185374, titled 'Text Messaging to Improve Adherence To Repeat Colonoscopy In a Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital', were posted on 2025-08-20 on clinicaltrials.gov.