User preferences for and engagement with text messages to support antihypertensive medication adherence: Findings from a pilot study evaluating an emergency department-based behavioral intervention.

The text messages were only one part of a bundled emergency department intervention that also included motivational interviewing, an educational toolkit, and pharmacy resources, so this study cannot show what the texts alone did. The paper reports preferences, engagement, and feedback, not blood pressure or medication adherence outcomes. Engagement was measured only in 63 participants enrolled after text receipt confirmation became available, and feedback was from 71 of 101 participants. Response rate was based on confirming receipt, not on answering whether the medication was taken, so it may not reflect meaningful engagement. Participants were recruited from emergency departments in middle Tennessee, had to have a texting phone, and had to be willing to receive texts, so results may not apply to other populations or patients unwilling to text. Text message content was not tailored, only frequency and timing were tailored to participant preferences.

Publication types indicate research support from U.S. government and NIH sources. The authors declared no relevant conflicts of interest, and the article text does not name a specific funder.

Do not conclude that text messages improve blood pressure or medication adherence. This paper measured preferences, response rates, and feedback among participants who also received motivational interviewing, an educational toolkit, and pharmacy resources, and it did not report clinical outcomes.