SMS reminders for monitoring tuberculosis treatment among women in Greater Accra region, Ghana

Tuberculosis (TB) disease has been of public health interest for decades. Its effect on women is more pronounced in their reproductive years. Nonadherence to treatment among people with TB undermines treatment outcomes and worsens the disease. Directly observed therapy for TB requires patients to take their medicine under observation. Mobile phones present the most potential in providing privacy. This study examined the use of short message service (SMS) reminders for monitoring TB treatment adherence among women in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. A quasi-experimental approach was used to assess the effect of SMS reminder intervention in two phases. Ten facilities were divided into two groups of five, with 105 and 125 for intervention and control groups, respectively. Adherence was assessed using the Medication Adherence Rating Scale for both groups before and after implementing the intervention and thereafter compared. STATA 15 was used to analyze data. Bivariate analyses were performed to assess medication uptake and factors associated with medication nonadherence between the intervention and control groups. p Values <.05 were considered significant. The SMS reminder messages had positive effect on adherence (odds ratio = 4.45, 95% confidence interval = 1.64, 12.11, p <.01). Educational level was the only variable significantly associated with TB treatments adherence. The findings suggest that a one-way SMS is feasible for supporting adherence to TB treatment in Ghana and other similar contexts.