Use of Short Text Messages to Promote Medication Adherence in Hypertensive Patients

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of intervention by sending short text messages with a reminder of the time of medication use, compared to sending educational messages, on adherence to drug treatment in patients with hypertension. METHODOLOGY: Prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group study that will be performed in patients with hypertension seen at a community pharmacy in Brazil. The following groups will be compared: a) intervention group 1: 70 hypertensive patients registered for access to medication associated with usual care, in addition to text messages via mobile phone with educational information b) intervention group 2: 70 hypertensive patients registered for access to medications that will additionally receive text messages at the times indicated in the prescription for use of each indicated medication, in addition to educational information. After the washout period, the groups will have the active interventions changed for an additional 90 days. The proportion of adherent and non-adherent patients with and without controlled BP in both groups will be compared after the periods of application of the different interventions.