Doctors at the University of Virginia are using cell phones to reach HIV patients who have fallen out of treatment in rural areas. The phones are programmed only with numbers to healthcare providers and an emergency contact. The handy devices also get personalized text messages to remind patients of medical appointments, when to take medicine and to get their prescriptions refilled.
“It's very hard for people in rural areas to stay in treatment,” said clinical social worker Mary Rafaly. “They've got the lack of transportation, the lack of other resources, such as cell phones. There's a lot more poverty in rural areas.”
Added Rebecca Dillingham, an assistant professor of medicine at UVA: “This puts patients in better contact with people who can support them.”
Doctors say the HIV epidemic is growing fastest in the rural South. Courtesy WVIR Television.
No comments:
Post a Comment