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Background: The proliferation of computer and cell phone access has made communication easier and could be a useful tool for contacting patients for follow-up visits and other interventions.
Objectives: To examine usage of internet and text messaging among patients of two public urban STD clinics in the Deep South that serve a mostly low income, African American population.
Methods: Surveys were administered to all patients of high volume public STD clinics in New Orleans (NO), Louisiana and
Results: Of the 1372 patients interviewed, the sample was 50%/50% male/female, 53.6% from MS and 46.4% from NO and the age groups were: < 25 (46.7%), 25-45 (45.0%), > 45 (8.3%). The majority (77.3%) used either internet (43.1%) or text messaging (76.9%) daily. Factors associated (P< 0.01) with daily technology use were age ≤ 45 [O.R. 6.5 (4.3-9.8)], female gender [O.R. 1.8 (1.3-2.3)], and MS clinic [O.R. 1.7 (1.3 – 2.2)]. When asked what would be the preferred method to re-contact the participant, 87.0% wished to be contacted by either cell phone/text message (76.8%), internet (2.3%) or landline (8.0%). Few patients (4.5%) preferred to be contacted via regular mail, some (10.0%) did not have a preference and, < 1% did not want to be re-contacted. Most (75%) did not change their cell phone number in the last six months and of those who did 56.4% only changed once.
Conclusions: Cell phone and internet use is common among these STD clinic patients and is an acceptable method of re-contacting patients.
Implications for Programs, Policy, and/or Research: Given the wide accessibility, cell phone/text messaging and internet interventions are feasible and acceptable. These initiatives could be used to improve adherence to follow-up visits, treatment and education.