Characteristics of included studies
| Lester et al | Pop-Eleches et al | Mbuagbaw et al | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design | A multisite two-arm randomised controlled trial | A single site five-arm randomised controlled trial | A single site two-arm randomised controlled trial |
| Inclusion criteria | ≥18-years-old, initiating ART for the first time, and able to access a mobile phone on a near-daily basis and communicate via SMS | ≥18 age who had initiated ART less than 3 months prior to enrolment | ≥21 years who owned mobile phones, could read text messages and had been on ART for at least 1 month |
| Baseline characteristics reported | Gender, age, CD4 count, WHO stage, clinic, viral load, literacy, level of education, monthly income, mobile phone access and residence | Marital status, religion, language, roofing, education, gender and age | Age, gender, education, family awareness of HIV status, presence of OI, BMI, CDC stage, regimen, duration on ART, CD4 count and VAS adherence |
| Sample size | 538 (intervention=273; control=265) | 431 (Short daily message=70; Short weekly message=73; Long daily message=72; Long weekly message=74; Control=139 | 200 (intervention=101; control=99) |
| Interventions | Weekly text message inquiring about status- Participants required to respond in 48 h | Short daily message Short weekly message Long daily message Long weekly message | Varied weekly motivational text message with response number provided |
| Control | Standard care | Standard care | Standard care |
| Primary outcomes | Self reported adherence (in preceding month), viral load | MEMS adherence | VAS adherence, number of missed doses (in preceding week), PRD |
| Secondary outcomes | Attrition (loss to follow-up, mortality, transfers, withdrawals) | Treatment interruptions | Weight, BMI, opportunistic infections, CD4 count, viral load, QOL, all cause mortality, retention in care |
| Duration of follow-up | 12 months | 48 weeks (12 months) | 6 months |
| Overall findings | Improved adherence and reduced viral load | Improved adherence and reduced treatment interruptions | No improvements in adherence |
ART, antiretroviral therapy; BMI, body mass index; CD4 count, CD4-positive-T-lymphocyte count; CDC, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention; MEMS, Medication Event Monitoring System; OI, opportunistic infection; PRD, pharmacy refill data; QOL, quality of life; SMS, short message service; VAS, visual analogue scale.