Study: Doctors’ Texts Can Prod Patients To Take Drugs, But Questions Linger

A spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down, but that’s hardly useful if a patient doesn’t remember to take it in the first place. According to a new analysis, there could be a possible solution: text message reminders sent to patients’ phones from the doctor. Researchers found that texts could push people to do better at adhering to their drug regimens and, along the way, save the health system a fair bit of money. "It’s clear people want such reminders. There is a lot of consumer demand for these types of interventions.” said IHPI member Laurie Buis, and assistant professor of family medicine at U-M.