Hammersmith and Fulham text quitters

GP practices in NHS Hammersmith and Fulham have used text messaging to collect information on patients’ smoking status and invite patients for smoking cessation advice.

The primary care trust used iPlato’s Patient Care messaging system to send text messages to 6,085 patients from 22 surgeries requesting a patient’s smoking status.

From those patients 45% responded to the request with a valid status with one practice receiving valid responses from 57% of patients sent the message. Replies came back as an email to the GP’s surgery.

The PCT found that 80% of respondents replied with three hours of receiving the message and 95% within 24 hours.

After confirming their smoking status patients were sent another text message, to enrol in a smoking cessation clinic in the GP practice. The message invited smokers to text the word ‘quit’ to be contacted by a member of the local stop smoking team.

Tim Roberts, stop smoking manager at NHS Hammersmith and Fulham, said the PCT also attempted to reach smokers by putting up posters around the borough. The posters directed patients to text ‘quit’ to a designated number which would trigger contact from the local stop smoking service. The iPlato supported poster campaign ran for six months and generated 282 responses via text message and approximately 300 by phone.

Roberts added: “This way of reaching out to smokers to help them quit is not only effective but very fast which makes text messaging an essential component in the promotion of stop smoking services.