01769nas a2200181 4500000000100000008004100001260001700042100001700059700001400076700001500090700001700105700001600122700001700138245010000155250001500255520127100270020004601541 2012 d c-357263871641 aBroderick C.1 aCurtin J.1 aMathieu E.1 avan Doorn N.1 aHerbert Rob1 aLatimer Jane00aFeasibility of short message service to document bleeding episodes in children with haemophilia a2012/06/123 a

The increasing emphasis on home-based treatment for the management of children with haemophilia has meant that many of these children no longer regularly report to a medical facility. Consequently, it is difficult to monitor incidence of bleeding episodes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a short message service (SMS) to monitor incidence of bleeding episodes in children with haemophilia. One hundred and four children with moderate and severe haemophilia A or B took part in a 1-year prospective study between 2008 and 2010. Children or their parents were asked to maintain a bleeds diary. They received a weekly SMS asking whether there had been a bleeding episode in the preceding week. Response rates were calculated. Children were followed for a total of 4839 person-weeks. SMS replies were received for 4201 weeks. Thus, the rate of follow-up was 86.8%. Median responses rates were 94.2% (IQR: 86.1-100%). Weekly SMS is a feasible reporting tool for documenting bleeding episodes in children with haemophilia. It is associated with high response rates and minimal expense and intrusion. The use of SMS could be extended to encourage compliance to prophylactic treatment, particularly in adolescents with haemophilia.

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