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SMS4AIDS
Life-saving AIDS drugs have been provided for free to millions of people worldwide. With the cost of AIDS drugs reduced in developing countries, forgetting to take drugs is the next greatest barrier to pill-taking (called antiretroviral (ARV) adherence). AIDS patients require consistent ARV adherence to prevent drug resistance and death.
PROVEN METHODS
Any cell phone program for ARV adherence should build on past successes in ARV adherence and E-Health programs. Social support for AIDS patients is key method for improving adherence. Online programs have also shown that tailored messages are more likely to be read, remembered, saved, and perceived as interesting. Accordingly, messages that are individually-tailored messages and socially supportive could improve SMS reminders for AIDS medication.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The SMS4AIDS program will send SMS reminders for AIDS medication, providing messages that are tailored and socially supportive for South African AIDS patients. SMS reminders will be timed according to individual pill schedules. Tailored messages will also address individual barriers to adherence with content written by ARV counselors. Participants can choose to receive messages in English or isiZulu. SMS4AIDS also offers supportive messages to AIDS patients, who often have trouble taking medication in isolating situations that stigmatize AIDS. This combination of reminders, tailored messages and social support addresses proven problems and solutions in technology and AIDS medication. The program is also designed for scale up with locally available resources. The cost per SMS is under 3 ¢ and no computer programming is required. In uses Excel, one computer with Internet access, and a bulk SMS messaging service that is widely available in South Africa. South Africa is chosen for need and feasibility, because it has the world's highest number of people living with HIV/AIDS and Africa's highest percentage of cell phone subscribers (89%). PILOT PROGRAMA pilot of SMS4AIDS was recently tested at a Johannesburg AIDS clinic by the Reproductive Health & HIV Research Unit (RHRU). The pilot found high consistency of message reception, high patient satisfaction, and no accidental disclosure by SMS.
SMS4AIDS will support AIDS medication in South Africa by addressing known problems with known solutions.
I would like to make contact,
I would like to make contact, as well. I am a graduate student completing case studies about mobile health campaigns in Africa, and I would like to look into both Text to Change and SMS4AIDS. Please send me an e-mail; I would like to ask you some quick questions. Thank you.
I'd like to make contact. We
I'd like to make contact. We were approached by a South African company two years ago to see if we could do exactly the same as what is described in the project. We finalised the software and it is fully operational. It has some very sophisticated options including contacting the carer, and uniquely identifying which Webster-pak(R) bubble has the medication being taken. It identifies the medication was taken from the correct dosage blister and has the means of checking it is correct. We are using this system in Australia but it was developed with the aim to assist AIDS medication adherence for South Africal miners. Can you please email me and we can discuss it.