OBJECTIVES: SMS notifications can be a useful component of digital patient-reported real-world studies to encourage engagement and a more complete dataset, particularly considering that 98% of mobile phone users have been found to open their SMS messages. Less commonly, studies have implemented SMS surveys, such that participants’ responses to a single-question or short SMS survey could trigger the release of a follow-up survey on the study app – in this way, participants who are eligible for the follow-up survey can be identified efficiently and the completeness of the dataset may be improved.

The objective of this project was to gain insights into patient preferences on the use of SMS surveys and notifications in longitudinal patient-reported digital real-world studies.

METHODS: Participants completed a web-based survey consisting of demographic and multiple option questions eliciting their preferences regarding the use of SMS surveys and notifications in longitudinal digital real-world studies.

RESULTS: Twenty-four participants (mean age: 46; range: 27-75) completed the survey, 71% of whom reported living with a chronic health condition. Overall, 71% of participants reported being very likely or somewhat likely to opt-in to receiving SMS surveys asking one question about their, or a dependent’s, health condition.

The majority of participants (79%) reported that they were very likely or somewhat likely to subsequently respond to the SMS survey question. If the question triggered a follow-up survey, 63% of participants reported being very likely or somewhat likely to complete it. Once per week and once every few weeks (both 38%) were the most commonly reported frequencies participants would prefer to receive an SMS survey. Half of participants reported an overall positive opinion regarding SMS notifications.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of SMS surveys and notifications in longitudinal digital real-world studies was well-accepted by participants and should be considered in future studies to improve engagement and dataset completeness.