title: Effectiveness of the YourCall™ text message intervention to reduce harmful drinking in patients discharged from trauma wards: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: Behavioural brief interventions (BI) can support people to reduce harmful drinking but multiple barriers impede the delivery and equitable access to these. To address this challenge, we developed YourCall™, a novel short message service (SMS) text message intervention incorporating BI principles. This protocol describes a trial evaluating the effectiveness of YourCall™ (compared to usual care) in reducing hazardous drinking and alcohol related harm among injured adults who received in-patient care.
  
  
  
  Participants recruited to this single-blind randomised controlled trial comprised patients aged 16-69 years in three trauma-admitting hospitals in Auckland, New Zealand. Those who screened positive for moderately hazardous drinking were randomly assigned by computer to usual care (control group) or the intervention. The latter comprised 16 informational and motivational text messages delivered using an automated system over the four weeks following discharge. The primary outcome is the difference in mean AUDIT-C score between the intervention and control groups at 3 months, with the maintenance of the effect examined at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes comprised the health and social impacts of heavy drinking ascertained through a web-survey at 12 months, and further injuries identified through probabilistic linkage to national databases on accident insurance, hospital discharges, and mortality. Research staff evaluating outcomes were blinded to allocation. Intention-to-treat analyses will include assessment of interactions based on ethnicity (Māori compared with non-Māori).
  
  
  
  If found to be effective, this mobile health strategy has the potential to overcome current barriers to implementing equitably accessible interventions that can reduce harmful drinking.
  
  
  
  Universal Trial Number (UTN) U1111-1134-0028. ACTRN12612001220853 . Submitted 8 November 2012 (date of enrolment of first participant); Version 1 registration confirmed 19 November 2012. Retrospectively registered.
authors.affiliation: Section of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand. s.ameratunga@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Shanthi
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8042-2251
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ameratunga
authors.affiliation: Section of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kool
authors.affiliation: Section of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharpe
authors.affiliation: Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Papaarangi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Section of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Arier
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Auckland City Hospital, 2 Park Road, Grafton, Auckland, 1023, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Civil
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University School of Public Health, 1 Medical Center Drive, PO Box 9190, Morgantown, WV, 26506-9190, USA.
authors.forename: Gordon
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Middlemore Hospital, Private Bag 93311, Otahuhu, Auckland, 1640, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.affiliation: North Shore Hospital, Shakespeare Road, Takapuna, Auckland, 0622, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Innovation, School of Population Health, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland Mail Centre 1142, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whittaker
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D012107:Research Design; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D060145:Text Messaging; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol use; Brief intervention; Mobile health; Motivational interviewing; Text messaging; Trauma centers; Wounds and injuries