Table 1.
Summary of included studies that focused on improving adherence in adolescents with CHCs using text message or mobile phone app interventions.
| Source (condition) | Intervention (study design) | Age (years) | Participants | Adherence measure | Grade |
| Boker et al 2012, USA (acne) [34] | Text messages (RCT) | Mean (SD) (range): Entire cohort 22.7 (5.7) (12-35) Text 22.8 (5.6) (14-35) Control 22.5 (5.9) (12-32) |
Total N: Enrolled (40) Lost follow-up (7) Final N=33: Intervention (15); Control (18) |
Medication event monitoring system | Low |
| Fabbrocini et al 2014, Italy (acne) [39] | Text messages (RCT) | Mean age: Text 19.5 Control 18.5 Entire cohort range (14-28) |
Total N: Enrolled (160) Lost follow-up (15) Final N=145: Intervention (74); Control (71) |
7-day recall self-report | Low |
| Ostojic et al 2005, Croatia and USA (asthma) [47] | Text messages and in-person sessions (RCT) | Mean (SD): 24.6 (6.5) | Final N=16: Intervention (8); Control (8) | Self-report of daily medication use in a paper diary | Low |
| Hammonds et al 2015, USA (depression) [42] | Mobile phone app (RCT) | Mean (SD): 20.6 (4.3) | Total N: Enrolled (57) Lost follow up (10) Final N=40: Intervention (20); Control (20) |
Pill count | Low |
| Cafazzo et al 2012, Canada (diabetes mellitus) [35] | Mobile phone app “ bant” (pilot trial) | Mean (SD): 15.1 (1.3) | Total N=20: Withdrawal (2) Incomplete data (6) Final N=12, Intervention |
Self-report | Moderate |
| Laboratory marker (glycosylated hemoglobin “HbA1c”) | |||||
| Franklin et al 2006, UK (diabetes mellitus) [40] | Text messages “Sweet Talk” (ST) (RCT) | Age (median, range): CIT 12.7 (10.5-14.8) Conventional insulin therapy /ST 14.1 (11.7-15.6) Intensive insulin therapy/ST 12.6 (11.2-15.4) |
Total N: Enrolled (92) No allocation (3) Lost follow-up (1) Discontinued text (13) Final N=90: Conventional insulin therapy (27) Conventional insulin therapy and ST (32) Intensive insulin therapy and ST (31) |
Self-report | Moderate |
| Laboratory marker (HbA1c) | |||||
| Louch et al 2013, UK (diabetes mellitus) [43] | Text messages (RCT) | Range for entire cohort is 18-30 | Total N: Enrolled (19) Lost follow-up (1) Final N=18: Intervention (8); Control (10) |
Self-report | Low |
| Mulvaney et al 2012, USA (diabetes mellitus) [46] | Text messages “SuperEgo” (pilot trial with a historical control) | Mean (SD): Intervention 15.9 (2.9); Controls 15.8 (2.7) | Enrolled (28) Incomplete data (5) Final N=46: Intervention (23); Historically matched controls (23) |
Laboratory marker (HbA1c) | Low |
| Dowshen et al 2012, USA (human immunodeficiency virus “HIV”) [37] | Text messages (pilot trial, pre-post design) | Mean (range): 23 (14-29) | Total N: Enrolled (25) Lost follow-up (3) Technical issue (1) Final N=21 |
Self-report (visual analogue scale and AIDS Clinical Trials Group) | Low |
| Laboratory markers (viral load and CD4 cell count) | |||||
| Garofalo et al 2015, USA (HIV) [41] | Text messages (RCT) | Mean (SD): 24.1 (2.9) Median (range): 23 (18-29) |
Final N=105: Control (51) Intervention (54) | Self-report (visual analogue scale) | Moderate |
| Laboratory markers (viral load and CD4 cell count) | |||||
| McKenzie et al 2015, USA (liver transplant) [44] | Text messages (pilot trial with a historical control) | Median (range): 16 (12-20) | N=42 | Laboratory testing participation rate | Low |
| Miloh et al 2009, USA (liver transplant) [45] | Text messages (pilot trial, pre-post design) | Median (range): 15 (1-27) | Total N: Enrolled (41) Dropout (17) Final N=24 |
Laboratory markers (tacrommilus levels and SD values) | Low |
| Creary et al 2014, USA (sickle cell disease) [36] | Text messages and Mobile Direct Observed Therapy “m-DOT” (pilot trial, pre-post design) | Mean (SD): 13.7 (6.3) | Total N=15 Final N=14 |
Observed adherence | Very low |
| Self-report (Morisky Medication Adherence Scale) | |||||
| Medication possession ratio | |||||
| Laboratory markers (fetal hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume) | |||||
| Estepp et al 2014, USA (sickle cell disease) [38] | Text messages “SIMON” (retrospective study) | Median (range): 13.9 (12.1-16.1) | Total N=83 Final N=55 |
Medication possession ratio | Low |
| Laboratory markers (fetal hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume) | |||||
| Ting et al 2011, USA (systemic lupus erythematosus) [48] | Text messages (RCT) | Mean (SD): 18.6 (2.5) | Final N=41: Intervention (19); Control (22) | Self-report (Medication Adherence Self-Report Inventory) | Low |
| Medication possession ratio | |||||
| Laboratory markers (hydroxychloroquine levels) |