R U OK 2 TXT 4 RESEARCH?--feasibility of text message communication in primary care research.

Background: Young people have led the recent rise in prevalence of text message usage, which is increasingly used in clinical settings.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of text message communication as a research tool in clinical research.

Methods: One hundred and ten consecutive young patients aged 16-24 years were recruited in four general practices (one inner urban, one outer urban, one rural and one university practice) in Victoria and interviewed before the consultation. If the patients had a mobile phone, they were asked to provide their mobile phone number so that following the medical consultation they could receive a single question, via text message, about their satisfaction with the consultation.

Results: Ninety-one percent of patients participated: 87 of 96 (91%) had a mobile phone and 85 of 87 agreed to provide their phone number for the purpose of research. There was no influence of practice sociodemographic characteristics.

Discussion: Text messaging is a feasible and acceptable method of communication for research purposes with young people attending primary care.